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To Whom or to What Does “Christian” Refer?

by John Holbrook Jr.
A Biblical View, Blog #134 posted on December 21, 2022.

1 – Preamble

The Bible indicates the following: First, God (or the Godhead) is a triunity consisting of three distinct persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Second, God is holy and hates sin. Third, the only atonement for sin which God will accept is the shedding of innocent blood – (a) temporarily in the sacrifice of unblemished animals and birds then (b) permanently in the sacrifice of his unblemished Son, whom the Bible identifies as ‘the Lamb of God who taketh away the sin of the world.”[1] Fourth, all of Adam and Eve’s descendants are sinners and therefore blemished and unable to atone for their sins. Thus, in the end, only God himself can atone for sin. Fifth, God is the personification of both perfect judgment and perfect love. Thus, one might say that God’s perfect judgment required the cross at Golgotha, and God’s perfect love put himself upon it.

2 – The Word “Christian”

Whenever people encounter the word “Christian,” most of them associate it with an individual or institution that is affiliated with Jesus of Nazareth, the central figure in the New Testament (or Messianic Scriptures). Moreover, if they have any familiarity with Christians and Christian institutions, they will know that they vary in significant ways. Finally, if they are familiar with the Bible, they will also know that many Christians and Christian institutions do not adhere to what the Bible says about the Messiah – even regarding essential issues such as whether He actually existed and, if so, whether  He is divine.[2]  Thus, they probably recognize that the term “Christian” is extremely broad and almost defies definition.

In addition, most people assume that the word “Christian” derived from the word “Christ,” which is a natural assumption, but is actually incorrect. Thus, they are surprised to hear (a) that the word “Christian” does not appear in the Bible, (b) that the manner in which the word originated and worked its way into common usage is complicated,[3] and (c) that some followers of the Christ do not regard themselves as Christians and believe that fellow followers of Him should refrain from identifying themselves as Christians.

Despite the foregoing, I do not think that genuine followers of the Messiah need to stop referring to themselves as Christians. First, the word is too ubiquitous. It appears in written material of every form and from every era since the 1st century AD, and it is used in common discourse today by people throughout the world. Second, the word is a perfectly good adjective or noun for people who claim allegiance to the Holy One of Israel, to whom the Messianic Scriptures refer as the “Christ.” [4] Third, the word does not imply perfect conformance to what the Bible says about Him. The word refers to a community of people and institutions with many different beliefs and practices, many of which, unfortunately, are unbiblical.

3 – The Covenantal Community

To explain what I mean by community, I need to introduce the concept of the covenant. God uses covenants to define the relationship between himself and his creatures. The Bible lists ten of them: three universal covenants involving mankind in general and seven restricted covenants involving the Hebrews in particular.

The covenantal community in the three universal covenants is mankind in general. It is divided into two groups: (1) covenant-keepers, who honor God and observe the terms of the covenant to the best of their ability and (2) covenant breakers, who dishonor God and disregard the terms of the covenant. A moment’s reflection will indicate that covenant-breakers usually outnumber covenant-keepers by a wide margin.

The covenantal community in the seven restricted covenants is Israel in particular. It is divided into two groups: (1) covenant-keepers, who honor God and observe the terms of the covenant to the best of their ability and (2) covenant breakers, who dishonor God and disregard the terms of the covenant. A moment’s reflection will indicate that covenant-breakers usually outnumber covenant-keepers by a wide margin. Also note that these covenants do not apply to the Gentiles excepting in certain cases which I will note when appropriate.

Two examples of the restricted covenant are the Mosaic Covenant and the New Covenant:

The Mosaic Covenant was in force from 1464 BC to 33 AD. Its covenantal community was Israel, which it divided into two groups: (1) covenant-keepers, who did their best to observe the Mosaic Laws, and (2) covenant-breakers who made little attempt to observe the Mosaic Laws. The mark of the covenant was circumcision, and the sacred text of the covenant was the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (OT) in general and the Mosaic Law in particular. It identified the way in which God expected all members of the community to relate to him, to fellow Jews, and to Gentiles. (Gentiles such as Caleb and Ruth could join the covenantal community by pledging allegiance to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and then serving Israel faithfully, but there were not many of them.)

The New Covenant has been in force since 33 AD and will last until the Parousia. Its covenantal community is Israel, which it divides into two groups: (1) covenant-keepers, who repent of their sins and accept the Messiah as their Lord and Savior, and who are called Israel of the Spirit or the Saved, and (2) covenant-breakers, who do not repent of their sins and accept the Messiah as their Savior and Lord, and who are called Israel of the Flesh or the Lost. The mark of this covenant is baptism, and the sacred text of the covenant is the entire Bible, which consists of both the Tenakh (OT) and the Messianic Scriptures (NT). It identifies the way in which God expects its members to relate to him and to others.

This covenant was promised to Israel in Jeremiah’s time (c.620-c.550 BC), and, when the covenantal period began on Passover in April 33 AD, the covenantal community consisted solely of Hebrews. When some Gentiles began repenting of their sins, accepting the Messiah as their Lord and Savior, and becoming baptized, God indicated to Peter in a vision[5] that such Gentiles could join the Christian community.

In Romans 11, Paul explains the new reality with the metaphor of two olive trees:

A Cultivated Olive Tree that represents Spiritual Israel, (a) in which covenant-keeping Jews – i.e. the Faithful Remnant of Israel – who repent of their sins and accept the Messiah as their Lord and Saviour, remain and (b) from which covenant-breaking Jews, who reject the Messiah as their Savior and Lord, are removed and cast away.

A Wild Olive Tree that represents the Gentiles, (a) from which covenant-keeping Christians are removed and grafted into the Cultivated Olive Tree and (b) in which the rest of the Gentiles, both non-Christians and covenant-breaking Christians, remain.

Please note that the covenantal community and its covenant-keepers are not synonymous and must not be conflated, which occurs when people use the word Christian to refer to both groups. Rather, the Christian Community consists of two groups: (1) covenant-keeping Christians and (2) covenant-breaking Christians.

Covenant-keeping Christians repent of their sins in their hearts, accept Jesus as their Savior and Lord, and obey Him to the best of their ability, and adopt beliefs and behavior that conform to the canonical Bible, which can be defined as the Tenakh (OT) and the Messianic Scriptures (NT).

Covenant-breaking Christians often do not repent of their sins in their hearts, often do not accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior, and adopt beliefs and behavior that do not conform to the canonical Bible, but to Bibles that often include the Apocrypha and even the Pseudepigrapha, and then sometimes not even to them.

We must keep in our minds and articulate in our discourse the difference between covenant-keeping Christians, whom I call either Bible-believing Christians or Biblical Christians, and covenant-breaking Christians, whom I usually call Nominal Christians. Moreover, we should recognize that Christian covenant-keepers are in the minority and covenant-breakers are in the majority, just as Jesus said in His Sermon on the Mount: “Enter ye in at the strait gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat. But narrow is the gate, and narrow is the way that leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.”[6]

4 – Nominal Christianity

There are many characteristics of nominal Christianity, and I will not try to enumerate all of them. The most obvious among them are the following:

Denying the divinity of the Messiah. The Bible indicates that He is the Son of God and a member of the triune Godhead.

Denying the depravity of mankind, which contradicts what God says in the Bible[7] and renders the incarnation and crucifixion of the Messiah unnecessary.

Claiming that anyone must be good in order to enter Heaven. People get into Heaven when they repent of their sins and accept the Messiah as their Savior and Lord, at which point God imputes the Messiah’s righteousness to them. Salvation cannot be earned. It is the free gift of a merciful and forgiving God.

Claiming that all baptized Christians are saved and headed to Heaven. Baptism signifies only that a person is a member of the Christian
covenantal community[8] – not that one is a covenant-keeping Christian.

Claiming that anyone other than God is infallible, such as a member of the clergy or priesthood. Only God and, I believe, His Word (the canonical Bible) are infallible.

Claiming that Christianity’s Eucharistic Rite – i.e. the eating of bread and the drinking of the juice of the grape[9] together in a worship service – is not just an act of remembrance, but actually recapitulates the death of the Son of God on the cross. His passion and death on the cross on Passover in 33 AD was a unique, one-time, all sufficient, unrepeatable sacrifice for our sins.

Claiming that any person or any institution other than the Messiah is a mediator between God and men. The Bible makes crystal clear that the only mediator between God and men is the Promised Messiah of Israel.[10] – not a church, not a clergyman, and not a dead person who has been canonized as a “saint” by a church. [11]

Praying in the name of anyone but the Messiah or Christ, which implies that this person is a mediator between God and the one who is praying.

Praying to anyone other than the three persons of the Trinity, such as praying to Mary (the mother of the Messiah),[12] a canonized saint, or an angel. Doing so constitutes idolatry.

Picking and choosing what to believe in the Bible. The Bible opens with the Creation Story, in which the reader is called upon to believe that God created Universe and all its contents and creatures in six, normal, 24-hour days simply with the power of his word, over which even many Christians stumble. We must remember that “…without faith, it is impossible to please him; for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”[13] When Job questioned God about his treatment by God, God responded to Job with another question, “Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth?”[14] and then proceeded to devote three entire chapters[15] to an elaboration on the Creation Story. God does not need to establish his credentials or explain himself. God’s omnicompetence, omnipotence, omniscience are beyond our ability to imagine, but they are evident in what he created. All we need to do is look at the heavens above, the earth below, and our fellow creatures,[16] and then take him at his Word, which means that we must believe the whole Bible.[17]

Promoting or participating in the Abomination of Desolation at the end of this age.

5 – The Abomination of Desolation.

Before identifying the Abomination of Desolation, I must set the stage.by looking at the most important event in history, which ended the Mosaic Covenantal Period and began the New Covenantal Period.

5A – The Pivotal Life in History

God sent his only Son into the world to atone for the sins of Mankind and to make possible the restoration of Creation to its original perfection, which will occur after the Parousia. Here is a summary of His life.

He was born on Tishri 1, the Feast of Trumpets (August 28, 2 BC).

He lived a sinless life[18] for just over 33.5 years (2 BC-33 AD) by observing the Mosaic Law perfectly.

He was betrayed, scourged, crucified, and buried on Nisan 14 (Tue-Wed), which was the Passover, in early April 33 AD: (3a) He was betrayed by one his disciple, Judas Iscariot, for 30 pieces of silver; (3b) He was tried by the Sanhedrin and judged guilty of blasphemy, a capital crime; (3c) He was interviewed by Pontius Pilate and King Herod and then turned over to the Roman soldiers; (3d) He was scourged for roughly nine hours; and (3e) He was forced to carry his heavy cross from the Roman Garrison in Old Jerusalem to Golgotha, just outside the city’s Damascus Gate.

He fulfilled the requirements of the Mosaic Law perfectly when He provided the unique, one-time, all sufficient, never-to-be repeated sacrifice to atone for sin: (4a) He was nailed to the cross at the third hour ( 9:00 am);[19] (4b) He hung there for the next six hours; (4c) darkness fell on the land at the sixth hour (12:00 noon); and (4d) He died at the ninth hour (3:00 pm).

Immediately afterwards, a Roman soldier refrained from breaking His legs, as was customary, but did thrust a lance in His side, from which water and blood fell to the ground.[20] (Just as God put Adam to sleep and formed a bride for him using flesh and bone from his side, so God put his Son to sleep and formed a Bride for Him using flesh and bone from His side.)

He was buried in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea in a garden adjacent to Golgotha at the twelfth hour (6:00 pm), which was the end of Passover (Nisan 14) and the beginning of an Annual Feast Day (Nisan 15).

He spent 3 days (72 hours) in the grave,[21] which (7a) included (Nisan 15 (Wed-Thu; an annual feast day), (7b) Nisan 16 (Thus-Fri; a normal weekday), and (7c) Nisan 17, Fri-Sat; a normal Sabbath Day), which was followed by Nisan 18 (Sat-Sun; a normal First Day of the Jewish week). .

He was resurrected at 6:00 pm on Saturday, which marked the end of Nisan 17 (Fri-Sat; the Sabbath) and the beginning of Nisan 18 (Sat-Sun; the First Day of the Jewish week).

He left the tomb sometime during the night (6:00 pm to 6:00 am) on Nisan 18, before Mary Magdalen and the other women arrived there at dawn.

He appeared to more than 500 of his disciples during the next 40 days.[22]

He ascended into Heaven on Iyyar 27 in 33 AD,[23] where He now sits on the Throne of God at the right hand of the Father.[24]

In the course of the above events Messiah fulfilled most of the prophecies concerning Himself (the rest will be fulfilled at the end of this age).  The Jewish Messiah, the Son of God, is undoubtedly the central and pivotal figure in the history of Creation.

5B – The Pivotal Events in History

The pivotal events in history of Creation from Creation Week to the Parousia are undoubtedly (a) the scourging and crucifixion of the Son of God on Passover in 33 AD, which was a unique, one-time, all-sufficient, never-to-be-repeated oblation to atone for the sins of all men, women, and children who repent of their sins and accept Him as their Savior and Lord,[25] and (b) the resurrection of the Son of God, which was a victory over death and represented the first fruits of the General Resurrection.

5C – A Few of the Changes Which Occurred at 3:00 pm on Passover 33 AD

When Messiah died at the ninth hour (3:00 pm) on Passover 33 AD, some significant changes occurred, including the following:

The Relocation of the Shekinah Glory – To mark the moment of Messiah’s death and the import of what it meant, something momentous happened in the Temple. The veil concealing the Holy Holies in the Temple was rent in two from the top to the bottom,[26] which indicated that the Shekinah Glory, God’s Presence, had moved from the physical Temple in Jerusalem to a spiritual Temple of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of the Messiah’s followers.[27] Because of what the Messiah did on the cross, the sacrifice of animals and birds in the Temple was no longer necessary, efficacious, or even pleasing to God. In fact, it was the most egregious affront to God which mankind could devise. Daniel called it “the abomination that makes desolate,” [28] and Messiah called it the Abomination of Desolation.

The Abomination of Desolation #1 – Despite God’s all-sufficient sacrifice of his Son on the cross, the Jewish Sanhedrin allowed the priests to sacrifice animals and birds in Jerusalem’s Temple for the next 37 years (33-70 AD). Again, it was the greatest offense against God which they could have devised or committed. It constituted the Abomination of Desolation about which Daniel  wrote and Messiah spoke. It invited God’s wrath on themselves and their people, which was duly manifested in the utter destruction of Jerusalem and its temple by the Roman armies under Titus in 70 AD and the subsequent banishment of the Jews from Judea for almost two millennia.

The Abomination of Desolation #2 – The Messiah indicated in the Olivet Discourse that, in spite of the above, the Abomination of Desolation will be repeated in the End Times, which means that (a) the Temple in Jerusalem will be rebuilt and (b) the sacrifice of animals and birds to atone for sin will be resumed. In fact, preparations for achieving these objectives are already underway.[29]

The Great Apostacy or Falling Away – Jesus indicated in the Olivet Discourse and Paul wrote in 2 Thessalonians 2:10-11 that, during the New Covenantal Period (33-Perousia) and in order to test the quality and seriousness of church-goers professions of faith in His Son and thereby separate the wheat (Biblical Christians) from the chafe (Nominal Christians), (a) an antichrist will appear with a counterfeit religion and false doctrines that will deflect mankind’s attention from the real King of kings in Heaven to a false monarch here on Earth and (b) and a strong spirit of delusion will appear to tempt members of the churches to succumb to the antichrist’s lies. The antichrist and the spirit of delusion have been at work now for almost two millennia, and the results of their work (1) were particularly evident during (1a) the persecution of the Messianic Jews for 443 years (33-476 AD) by the Rabbinic Jews and the Roman emperors and (1b) the persecution of the Protestants for 1260 years (538-1798 AD) by the Roman Church, and  (2) will be particularly evident during the persecution of the saints for an unknown number of years by the antichrist in the End Time. During this time, (1) the saints will demonstrate their faithfulness by (1a) believing God’s Word Written (the Scriptures) and (1b) rejecting the antichrist as the head of the Universal Church and opposing the Jews’ resumption of animal and bird sacrifices to atone for sin, and (2) the apostates will demonstrate their faithlessness by (2a) ignoring Gid’s Written Word and (2b) accepting the antichrist as the head of the Universal Church and supporting the Jew’s project to rebuild Solomon’s Temple and resume the sacrifice of animals and birds to atone for sin.

Brothers and sisters in the Lord: Beware!

© 2022 John Holbrook Jr.
___________________________

[1] KJ21 John 1:29.

[2] The Bible records that God the Father identified Him as his Son in Matthew 3:16-17, 12:18, & 17:5; Mark 1:10-11 & 9:7; Luke 3:21-22, 9:34-35, & 20:13.

[3] Daniel Gruber provides an interesting analysis of this subject in Chapter 10 – A Little Case of Mistaken Identity of his book, The Separation of Church & Faith – Volume 1 – Copernicus and the Jews, Elijah Publishing, Hanover, NH, 2005, 2016.

[4] He bears the title “Mashiach” in Hebrew, “Khristos” in Greek, and “Messiah” or “Christ” in modern English, all of which mean “the Anointed One.” Hereafter, I will refer to Him as the “Messiah” in order to remind my readers continually that He is both Jewish and the Promised Messiah or Holy One of Israel.

[5] Acts 10:9-16.

[6] KJ21 Mathew 7:13-14.

[7] Psalms 14:2-3, 53:2-3; Ecclesiastes 7:20; Jeremiah 17:9; 1 John 1:8,10; Romans 3:10-12, 3:23, 5:12, 7:14-20; Galatians 3:22; and James 2:10, 4:17.

[8] Consider the number of Christians who tortured and killed others – Christians and non-Christians alike -because they differed on matters of faith and practice.

[9] Sometime fermented, sometime unfermented.

[10] 1 Timothy 2:5.

[11] The biblical definition of a saint is a sinner who repents of his or her sins and accepts the Messiah as his or her Savior and Lord. No saint deserves canonization – let alone adoration – as a particularly holy person who can serve as a mediator between God and a supplicant who is praying to him or her.

[12] She was a normal, mortal woman, who was born a sinner, lived an imperfect life, died a sinner, and now lies in the grave. She will not be resurrected until the Rapture at the end of this age, when her Son will return to Earth (the Parousia) and resurrect all who have died. Thus she cannot even hear prayers to her, let alone act on them. I imagine that she will be horrified to learn that some people claimed that (a) she was full of grace (the doctrine of the Mother of God), which implies that she was semi-divine, (b) she was born without original sin (the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception, she remained a virgin throughout her life (the doctrine of Perpetual Virginity) despite the Bible’s references to Jesus’ brothers and sisters, who then would have been either adopted or the product of Joseph’s continually engaging in adultery, and (d) her body was taken up into Heaven without undergoing putrefaction (the doctrine of the Assumption).

[13] KJV Hebrews 11:6.

[14] KJV Job 38:4.

[15] Job 38-41.

[16] Romans 1:19-20.

[17] Some Christians waffle on this issue, claiming that the Bible is “authoritative” or that the Bible contains the Word of God, but does not constitute the Word of God. They have not, however, thought through the implications of their claims. If only some of the Bible is divinely inspired, what criteria are available for discerning between the passages that come from God and the passages that do not come from God? Such criteria do not exist! One cannot escape the necessity of deciding this issue by faith – by a faith informed by reason, but nonetheless by faith.

[18] Hebrews 4:15.

[19] Called the 3rd hour of daylight in the Bible, or the 15th hour of the whole day that started at 6:00 pm the previous evening.

[20] Called the 9th hour of daylight in the Bible, or the 21st hour of the whole day that started at 6:00 pm the previous evening.

[21] Matthew 12:40. Note that the definition of a day here is the same as the definition of a day in Genesis 1.

[22] 1 Corinthians 15:6.

[23] John 20:17, Ephesians 4:8-10.

[24] Acts 2:34.

[25] God wrote their names in the Book of Life before the foundations of the world were laid (Philippians 4:3 and Revelation 3:5, 13:8, 17:8, 20:12, 20:15, 21:27, & 22:19).

[26] Matthew 27:51.

[27] 1 Corinthians 6:19-20. See my essay, The Two Temples.

[28] See Daniel 9. Alas, our Lord mentioned in the Olivet Discourse that the Jews will repeat the offense toward the end of this age (Matthew 24:15 and Mark 13:14).

[29] See Randall Price’s Ready to Rebuild – The Imminent Plan to Rebuild the Temple the Last Days Temple (1992), The Coming Last Days Temple (1999), and The Temple and Bible Prophecy – A Definitive Look at Its Past, Present, and Future (2005).

Dispensationalists beware!

by John Holbrook Jr.
A Biblical View, Blog #133 posted on December 21, 2022.

This blog is addressed to all Christians who have adopted the false doctrines of Dispensationalism. They undoubtedly do not realize it, but they have thereby put themselves on a path to perdition.

Lord God, I pray that you have mercy upon them. Open their eyes and unstop their ears that they might receive the truth and repudiate Dispensationalism.

All Christians should know that God sent his “only begotten” Son into his creation: (1) to become incarnate in a man, Jesus of Nazareth, the Promised Messiah of Israel; (2) to live a sinless life; (3) to die on a cross at Golgotha on Passover as the unique, one-time, all sufficient, never-to-be-repeated sacrifice to atone for all the sins of mankind from Creation to the Parousia;[1] (4) to spend three days in the grave; (5) to rise again on the first day of the Jewish week (Sunday) as the first fruits of the General Resurrection; and (6) to ascend into Heaven, where He now sits on the Throne of God and rules the heavens and the earth as the King of kings and Lord of lords. Despite knowing the foregoing, many Christians are unaware that many important changes occurred at the sixth hour (3:00 pm) on Passover in 33 AD or shortly thereafter.

First, the covenantal period changed – The Mosaic Covenantal Period (1464 BC to 33 AD) ended and the New Covenantal Period (33 AD to the Parousia) began. Clearly, the Mosaic Covenant was rendered obsolete forevermore.

Second, the Shekinah Glory moved – During the Mosaic Covenantal Period, the Shekinah Glory (a sign of God’s presence) dwelt in the Holy of Holies in the physical Temple[2] on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Then, when God’s Son died, the veil before the Holy of Holies in the Temple was rent from top to bottom, thereby indicating that the Shekinah Glory was leaving this place. Now, during the New Covenantal Period, the Shekinah Glory dwells in the spiritual Temple of the Holy Spirit[3] in the hearts of all believers, where it will remain forevermore. Clearly, the physical temple on the Temple Mount was rendered obsolete forevermore.

Third, the acceptable sacrifice to atone for sin changed – During the Mosaic Covenantal Period, God accepted the sacrifice of animals and birds as a temporary atonement for the sins of the Jewish people. Now, during the New Covenantal Period, God accepts only the sacrifice of his Son on Golgotha as the permanent atonement for the sins of mankind. Clearly, the sacrifice of animals and birds to atone for sin was rendered obsolete forevermore.

Indeed, after the Crucifixion, the sacrifice of animals and birds to atone for sin became the most egregious offense against God that mankind could devise. Daniel referred to it as “the abomination that makes desolate” [4] and God’s Son referred to it as the Abomination of Desolation.[5]

The first instance of it occurred during the 37-year period (33-70 AD) immediately following the Crucifixion, when the Sanhedrin ignored the sacrifice of God’s Son on Passover and had the priests continue the sacrifice of animals and birds in the physical temple on the Temple Mount, which resulted in (a) the utter destruction of Jerusalem and its Temple and (b) the banishment of the Jews from Judea for the next almost two millennia.

The second instance of it will occur in the End Time, when the Israelis will (a) rebuild the Temple of Solomon on the Temple Mount and (b) resume animal and bird sacrifices there,[6] which will result in the destruction, not just of Jerusalem and its temple, but of the current heavens and the current Earth

Fourth, the identity of God’s Chosen People changed – During the Mosaic Covenantal Period, God’s Chosen People were the physical or blood descendents of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and the male members of the covenantal community were identified by the mark of circumcision.[7] Now, during the New Covenantal Period, God’s Chosen People are the spiritual descendents of Abraham, who is called “the father of the faithful,”[8] and the members of the covenantal community are identified by the mark of baptism.[9] The first members of the New Covenant community were obviously Jews, but they quickly learned that Gentiles could become members of it by (a) repenting of their sins, (b) professing faith in God’s Son, the Promised Messiah of Israel, as their Savior and Lord and (c) undergoing baptism.

Fifth, the meaning of “Israel” changed – During the Mosaic Covenantal Period, “Israel” meant the physical descendants of Abraham – i.e. the Jewish people or the Jewish nation. Now, during the New Covenantal Period, God distinguishes between (a) Abraham’s physical descendants and (b) Abraham’s spiritual descendants. Now there are two Israels: (1) Israel of the Spirit, which consists of (1a) believing Jews, who are the Faithful Remnant of Israel and reside in the Cultivated Olive Tree, and (1b) believing Gentiles, who are pruned from the Wild Olive Tree and grafted into the Cultivated Olive Tree; and (2) Israel of the Flesh, which consists of unbelieving Jews who are pruned from the Cultivated Olive Tree and cast away.[10] Unbelieving Gentiles reside in the Wild Olive Tree.

Sixth, the priestly order changed – During the Mosaic Covenantal Period, Israel was represented in the physical tabernacle or temple by priests of the Order of Aaron, who was (a) a descendant of Jacob’s son Levi, (b) the older brother of Moses, and (c) the first Levitical High Priest. All the Levitical priests were (a) blemished (sinful), mortal, and imperfect. Now, during the New Covenantal Period, “Israel of the Spirit” is represented in the spiritual Temple of the Holy Spirit by the Order of Melchisedek, who was (a) the King of Salem,[11] (b) the King of Peace,[12] (c) the priest of the Most High God,[13] and (d) the shadow of the High Priest to come, who would be unblemished (sinless), divine, and perfect in every respect – i.e. the Prince of Peace,[14] the Sun of Righteousness,[15] the Son of God, the Son of Man, and the Promised Messiah of Israel.  Clearly, the Levitical priesthood became obsolete forevermore.

Seventh, a Spirit of Strong Delusion appeared – Early in the New Covenantal Period,[16] God sent a spirit of “strong delusion” into the world to test the faithfulness of those who profess that God’s Son is their Savior and Lord. Moreover, to leave us without excuse if we succumb to the spirit’s lies, God put a stern warning at the end of the following passage, in which (a) verses 3-10 describe the context of the offense and (b) verses 11-12 warn of the consequences of the offense:

3-Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 4-Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. 5-Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? 6-And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. 7-For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. 8-And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: 9-Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, 10-And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11-And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: 12-That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. (KJV 2 Thessalonians 2:3-12)

Lastly, the Great Falling Away[17] began – With the arrival of the lying spirit, the Great Falling Away got underway, first (1) during the persecution of the early church by the Rabbinic Jews and Romans,[18] then (2) under the persecution of the Protestant churches by the Romanist church,[19] and lastly (3) under the persecution of the saints by the antichrist during the End Time, which I believe (3a) began with the appearance of the movement to rebuild the Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem and to resume animal and bird sacrifices there to atone for sin,[20] and (3b) will culminate in the rise to prominence of the antichrist, who claims to be a true believer and God’s appointed head of the Universal Church, and who will become the head of a new world government, preside over the ratification of a treaty between the new world government and Israel, which will permit the Israelis to seize the Temple Mount, rebuild the temple, and resume sacrifices there, and initiate the persecution of the saints, who will refuse to acknowledge him as the head of the Church Universal and to support the Israelis in their rebuilding of the temple and their resumption of sacrifices there.[21]

If Dispensationalists stubbornly adhere to the lies of the deceiving spirit, they will join the Great Apostasy and be numbered among the Lost.

Almighty God, I beseech you, have mercy upon them and deliver them from that fate. Amen.

The End Time

The rise of the antichrist to global prominence and the 2nd instance of the Abomination of Desolation may be nearer that many of us realize.

Twenty years ago, I noticed that a movement (a) to rebuild the Temple of Solomon on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem and (b) to resume animal and bird sacrifices to atone for sin there had begun early in the twentieth century.[22]

Then on September 18, 2022, AllIsraelNews.com posted an article entitled “Does the arrival of five red heifers in Israel signal third temple, end times?” [23] The article asked a good question. It began with the following introductory paragraphs, accompanied by a photograph of the red heifers:

Five rabbi-approved red heifers arrived from Texas on Thursday to a ceremonious welcome at Ben-Gurion Airport – and touched off a whirlwind of speculation as to the prophetic significance of their presence in Israel and whether we are barreling toward a third-temple period or the “last days.”

The cows have been inspected by rabbis and were found to be red and unblemished, which means they are ritually pure for sacrifice as stipulated under the law of Moses. In order for someone following Mosaic law to become ritually pure, the ashes of a red heifer are required, according to the Book of Numbers.

“This is a requirement of the law that the Lord has commanded: Tell the Israelites to bring you a red heifer without defect or blemish and that has never been under a yoke.” Numbers 19:2.

The farmers, in Texas, knew enough of the requirements and did not tag the ears of these cows leaving them unblemished.


The five red heifers in quarantine in Israel

Finally on September 27, 2022, AllIsraelNews.com posted an article entitled “Red heifer sacrifice could take place in one year in Jerusalem,”[24] in which it explained how sacrifices can occur outside a temple precinct and suggested that they might start on the Mount of Olives as early as thirteen months from now.

Since I regard the resumption of animal and bird sacrifices to atone for sin as one of the “signs of the times” about which Jesus spoke in the Oliver Discourse, I think the End Time is upon us. Dispensationalists beware!

© 2022 John Holbrook Jr.
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[1] Just as Abraham had accepted the will of God that he sacrifice his only son Isaac on an altar on Mount Moriah, and Isaac had voluntarily agreed to become a burnt offering there, so Jesus had accepted the will of God that He become a sacrifice for the sins of mankind on Mount Moriah, and He voluntarily hung on a cross there for six hours (9:00 am to 3:00 pm) on Passover in 33 AD. The benefits of His sacrifice, however, are conditional. They will be granted by God only to the men, women, and children who repent of their sins and accept his Son and their Savior and Lord.

[2] The Koine Judeo-Greek word “hieron.”

[3] The Koine Judeo-Greek word “naos.”

[4] Daniel 11:31 & 12:11.

[5] Matthew 24:15 & Mark 13:14.

[6] An effort to accomplish this objective is already underway. See Randall Price’s Ready to Rebuild – The Imminent Plan to Rebuild the Temple the Last Days Temple (1992), The Coming Last Days Temple (1999), and The Temple and Bible Prophecy – A Definitive Look at Its Past, Present, and Future (2005).

[7] Note that the Mosaic Covenant divided mankind into three groups: (a) Jewish covenant-keepers, (b) Jewish covenant breakers, and (c) Gentiles to whom the covenant did not apply (excepting in rare cases like Caleb, Rahab, and Ruth).

[8] Isaiah 51-1-8, Romans 4:11-13, Galatians 3:29, Hebrews 11:8-10, ,

[9] Note that the New Covenant eventually divided mankind into three groups: (a) Christian covenant-keepers, (b) Christian covenant breakers, and (c) non-Christians who ignored or rejected the covenant.

[10] Unbelieving Gentiles remain in the Wild Olive Tree.

[11] Undoubtedly Jerusalem. Also salem means “shalom” or “God’s peace.”

[12] Hebrews 7:2.

[13] Genesis 14:18.

[14] Isaiah 9:6.

[15] Malachi 4:2.

[16] 33 AD-unknown date in the future.

[17] Also called the Great Apostasy.

[18] During the 433 years (33-476 AD).

[19] Particularly during the Great Tribulation that lasted 1,260 years (538-1798 AD), but also afterwards as well.

[20] Circa.1925 AD. Please note, however, that none but God-the-Father knows the timing of the End Time events.

[21] I speculate that the most likely End Time scenario is that (a) Babylon-the-Great (probably the USA) will be destroyed, thereby taking with it the UN headquarters in NYC, (b) a new UN headquarters will be built in Israel, (c) the antichrist, whom the Scriptures identify as the Romanist pope, will be appointed as its Secretary General, (d) the antichrist will preside over the ratification of a treaty between the UN and Israel permitting the Jews to seize the Temple Mount, rebuild the temple, and resume animal and bird sacrifices, (e) the world will be plunged into a time of terrible trouble and tribulation, and then (f) the end of the age will come with the Parousia, the General Resurrection, the Rapture of the Saints, the Battle of Armageddon, and the destruction of the old heavens and the old earth.

[22] See Randall Price’s Ready to Rebuild – The Imminent Plan to Rebuild the Temple the Last Days Temple (1992), The Coming Last Days Temple (1999), and The Temple and Bible Prophecy – A Definitive Look at Its Past, Present, and Future (2005).

[23] https://www.allisrael.com/does-the-arrival-of-five-red-heifers-in-israel-signal-third-temple-end-times

[24] https://www.allisrael.com/red-heifer-sacrifice-could-take-place-in-about-a-year-in-jerusalem

Holy Week in 33 AD

by John Holbrook Jr.
A Biblical View, Blog #132, posted on February 3, 2022

Section 1 – Preamble

In Volume 2 of my book, A Biblical View of Nearly Everything, I have argued that Tiberius 15 commenced in August 29 AD, that Messiah was baptized by John-the-Baptist in mid-August 29 AD, that Messiah’s 30th birthday occurred on August 28, 29 AD, that Messiah spent 40 days in the wilderness being tempted by Satan, and that Messiah’s Ministry commenced in on October 7, 29 AD, lasted 3.5 years, and ended with Holy Week in early April 33 AD – arguably one of the two most important weeks in human history.[1]

Section 2 – Source of Confusion

The configuration of Holy Week may seem simple and clear at first, but it is actually quite complicated and confusing. One source of confusion is the six-hour difference in the beginning and ending of days in the Jewish and Gentile calendars.

●   The Jewish calendar day starts at 6 pm [2] and ends 24 hours later at 6 pm. It is divided as follows: (1) night, which lasts 12 hours (6 pm to 6 am[3]), which is sometimes sub-divided into (1a) evening (6 pm to midnight) and (1b) madrugada [4] (midnight to 6 am) and then (2) day, which lasts 12 hours (6 am to 6 pm), which is usually divided into (2a) morning (6 am to noon) and (2b) afternoon (noon to 6 pm).

●   The Gentile calendar day starts at midnight and ends 24 hours later at midnight. It is divided as follows: (1) the last half of the night or madrugada (midnight to 6 am), (2) the first half of the day or morning (6 am to noon), (3) the second half of the day or afternoon (noon to 6 pm), and (4) the first half of the night or evening (6 pm to midnight).

As a result of the above, the Jewish and Gentile calendars are six hours out of phase. Just for example: Assume that Passover occurs on both Nisan 14 in the Jewish calendar and April 2 in the Gregorian calendar. One has to keep in mind that Nisan 14 and April 2 share only 18 hours of the day (midnight to 6:00 pm). Six hours (6 pm to midnight) of Nisan 14 falls on April 1 and eighteen hours of April 2 (midnight-6 pm) falls on Nisan 15. This distinction easily gets lost when trying to configure Holy Week.

Section 3 – Two Disparate Versions of Holy Week

Regarding the chronology of Holy Week, there is an irreconcilable disparity between the Church’s version, which most people understand, and the Biblical version, which most people do not understand.

Subsection 3A – The Church’s version of Holy Week

In the Church’s version of Holy Week, it is described as follows: Palm Sunday (end of Nisan 11, a normal day, the 1st Day of the Jewish Week); Monday (end of Nisan 12, a normal day); Tuesday (end of Nisan 13); Wednesday (end of Nisan 12, a normal day); Thursday (end of Nisan 13, the Day of Preparation); Friday (end of Nisan 14, the Passover); Saturday (end of Nisan 15, the Sabbath); and Easter Sunday (end of Nisan 16, a normal day, the 1st Day of the Jewish Week).

The foregoing calendar can be expanded as follows:

●   Nisan 8 (the Sabbath) (a) began at 6 pm on Friday and (b) ended at 6 pm on Saturday.

●   Nisan 9 (a normal day, the 1st Day of the Jewish Week) (a) began at 6 pm on Saturday and (b) ended at 6 pm on Palm Sunday. Messiah (a) rode into Jerusalem on a donkey walking on palm fronds, (b) cleansed the Temple of money-lenders, and (c) delivered the Olivet Discourse to His disciples.

●   Nisan 10 (a normal day) (a) began at 6 PM on Palm Sunday and (b) ended at 6 pm on Monday.

●   Nisan 11 (a normal day) (a) began at 6 pm on Monday and (b) ended at 6 pm on Tuesday.

●   Nisan 12 (a normal day) (a) began at 6 pm on Tuesday and (b) ended at 6 pm on Wednesday.

●   Nisan 13 (the Day of Preparation) (a) began at 6 pm on Wednesday and (b) ended at 6 pm on Thursday. During the day, Messiah told His disciples to meet Him in the Upper Room for the Passover Supper, and the disciples killed the unblemished lamb to eat at the supper. 

●   Nisan 14 (the Passover) (a) began at 6 pm on Thursday and (b) ended at 6 pm on Friday. Between 6pm and midnight, Messiah and His disciples celebrated the Passover supper (known as the Last Supper) and then retired to the Garden of Gethsemane, where Messiah prayed to His Father. Then Messiah’s ordeal began: (a) He was arrested by the Temple guard; (b) He was tried by the Sanhedrin; (c) He was interrogated by Pontius Pilate; (d) He was interrogated King Herod; (e) He was rejected by His people in favor of Barabbas; and (f) He was delivered into the hands of the Roman garrison about midnight; (g) He was verbally and physically abuse by the Roman soldiers for roughly eight hours; (h) He was required to carry His cross from the Roman station to Golgotha; (i) He was crucified at 9:00 am on Friday morning and hung on the cross for six hours, during which darkness descended on the land for three hours (noon to 3 pm). At 3 pm, Messiah died. During the next three hours, Joseph of Arimathea asked for Pilate’s permission to take custody of Messiah’s body, then he and some disciples transported it to his own tomb in a nearby garden. There some women cleansed the body and wrapped it in burial cloths. Finally, at 6 pm, a Roman garrison sealed the entrance to the tomb and commenced a round-the-clock vigil to ensure that no one tampered with its contents.

●   Nisan 15 (the Sabbath) (a) began at 6 pm on Friday and (b) ended at 6 pm on Saturday. Messiah remained in the tomb for the entire time. 

●   Nisan 16 (a normal day, the 1st Day of the Jewish Week) (a) began at 6 pm on Saturday and (b) ended at 6 pm on Easter Sunday. The women bearing additional oil, spices, and burial cloths, which they would have had no opportunity to buy on Friday, Saturday, or during the madrugada on Sunday, arrived at the garden around 6 am and found the tomb open and empty.

Here I will note a couple of things:

●   First, the Church’s view of Holy Week completely ignores Matthew 12:40, in which Messiah states to the scribes and Pharisees: “…as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” (KJV), thereby going out of His way to emphasize that He would spend exactly 72 hours in the grave. As a result, it flat out contradicts the testimony of Scripture.

●   Second, the Church has never settled on a time for the resurrection despite much disputation on the subject. I note with interest, however, that Easter Sunday has always been considered Day 1 in the countdown to Day 40 (Ascension Friday), and Day 50 (Pentecost Sunday), which leads me to believe that the early church must have known that Messiah was resurrected just before 6 pm on Day 0 (the Sabbath).

Subsection 3B – The Biblical version of Holy Week

In the Biblical view of Holy Week, it is described as follows: Saturday (end of Nisan 10, the Sabbath); Palm Sunday (end of Nisan 11, a normal day, the 1st Day of the Jewish Week); Monday (end of Nisan 12, a normal day); Tuesday (end of Nisan 13, the Day of Preparation); Wednesday (end of Nisan 14, the Passover); Thursday (end of Nisan 15, Annual Feast Day); Friday (end of Nisan 16, a normal day); Saturday (end of Nisan 17, the Sabbath); and Easter Sunday (end of Nisan 18, a normal day, the 1st Day of the Jewish Week).

The foregoing calendar can be expanded as follows (please excuse the amount of repetition, but I want my readers to compare the two accounts and perceive the degree to which a single error changes the story).

●   Nisan 9 (a normal day) (a) began at 6 pm on Thursday and (b) ended at 6 pm on Friday.

●   Nisan 10 (the Sabbath) (a) began at 6 pm on Friday and (b) ended at 6 pm on Saturday.

●   Nisan 11 (a normal day, the 1st Day of the Jewish Week) (a) began at 6 m on Saturday and (b) ended at 6 pm on Palm Sunday. Messiah (a) rode into Jerusalem on a donkey walking on palm fronds, (b) cleansed the Temple of money-lenders, and (c) delivered the Olivet Discourse to His disciples. 

●   Nisan 12 (a normal day) (a) began at 6 PM on Palm Sunday and (b) ended at 6 pm on Monday. 

●   Nisan 13 (the Day of Preparation) (a) began at 6 pm on Monday (b) ended at 6 pm on Tuesday. During the day, Messiah told His disciples to meet Him in the Upper Room for the Passover Supper, and the disciples killed the unblemished lamb to eat at the supper. 

●   Nisan 14 (the Passover) (a) began at 6 pm on Tuesday and (b) ended at 6 pm on Wednesday. Between 6 pm and midnight, Messiah and His disciples celebrated the Passover supper (known as the Last Supper) and then retired to the Garden of Gethsemane, where Messiah prayed to His Father. Then Messiah’s ordeal began: (a) He was arrested by the Temple guard about 9 pm; (b) He was tried by the Sanhedrin; (c) He was interrogated by Pontius Pilate; (d) He was interrogated King Herod; (e) He was rejected by His people in favor of Barabbas; and (f) He was delivered into the hands of the Roman garrison about midnight; (g) He was verbally and physically abuse by the Roman soldiers for the next roughly eight hours; (h) He was required to carry His cross from the Roman station to Golgotha; (i) He was crucified at 9:00 am on Friday morning and hung on the cross for six hours, during which darkness descended on the land for three hours (noon to 3 pm). At 3 pm, Messiah died. During the next three hours (3-6 pm), Joseph of Arimathea asked for Pilate’s permission to take custody of Messiah’s body, and then he and some disciples transported the body to his own tomb in a nearby garden. There some women cleansed the body and wrapped it in burial cloths. Finally, at 6 pm a Roman garrison sealed the entrance to the tomb and commenced a round-the-clock vigil to ensure that no one tampered with its contents.

●   Nisan 15 (an Annual Feast Day) (a) began at 6 pm on Wednesday and (b) ended at 6 pm on Thursday. Messiah remained in the tomb for the entire time (24 hours). 

●   Nisan 16 (a normal day) (a) began at 6 pm on Thursday and (b) ended at 6 pm on Friday. Messiah remained in the tomb for the entire time (24 hours).

●   Nisan 17 (the Sabbath) (a) began at 6 pm on Friday and (b) ended at 6 pm on Saturday. Messiah remained in the tomb for almost the entire time (24 hours), and He was resurrected just before 6 pm. 

●   Nisan 18 (a normal day, the 1st Day of the Jewish Week) (a) began at 6 pm on Saturday and (b) ended at 6 pm on Easter Sunday. The women bearing additional oil, spices, and burial cloths, which they would have had an opportunity to buy on the previous Friday, arrived at the garden around 6 am and found the tomb open and empty.

●   Nisan 19 (a normal day) (a) began at 6 pm on Sunday and (b) ended at 6 pm on Monday.

Here I will note a couple of things:

●   First, the Biblical view of Holy Week fully conforms to Matthew 12:40, in which Messiah states to the scribes and Pharisees: “…as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” (KJV), thereby going out of His way to emphasize that He would spend exactly 72 hours in the grave.

●   Second, Messiah uses the same phraseology in Matthew 12:40 that God does in Genesis 1:1-2:3. In both instances, God clearly does not want us to misconstrue the fact that normal, twenty-four hour days are being described. As a result, the biblical view of Holy Week has the ring of truth to it.

Section 4 – My Predicament [5]

My next step was trying to identify a year in the vicinity of 33 AD where Passover fell on Wednesday. What I found can be seen in Table 5B – Passover Dates (26-36 AD), which turned out to be a disappointment. There are only two years that come close to satisfying all the criteria which I have described. Using their table designations, they are the following:

Subsection 4A – Passover in 30 AD

 The sources that I am using to equate dates in the Jewish calendar and dates in the Gregorian calendar put Nisan 14 on Wednesday, April 1, 30 AD, which puts Messiah’s birth in 5 BC, the wrong year..

●   4A-1 – The Church’s configuration of Holy Week does not work (see Table 5C-1 – Traditional Holy Week in Apr 30 AD) – (1) Pro: It puts (a) Passover on a Wednesday and (b) Day 1 and Day 50 of the Pentecost calculation on Sundays. (2) Con: It puts (a) only 36 hours between Messiah’s burial and resurrection, thereby violating Scripture, and as noted above (b) Messiah’s birth in 5 BC, the wrong year.

●   ¶ 4A-2 – The Biblical configuration of Holy Week does work partially (see Table 5C-2 – Biblical Holy Week in Apr 30 AD) – (1) Pro: It puts (a) Passover on a Wednesday, (b) 72 hours between Messiah’s burial and resurrection, thereby conforming to Scripture, and (c) Day 1 and Day 50 of the Pentecost calculation on Sundays. (2) Con: As noted above, it puts Messiah’s birth in August of 5 BC, the wrong year.

Subsection 4B – Passover in 33 AD

The sources that I am using to equate dates in the Jewish calendar and dates in the Gregorian calendar put Nisan 14 on Friday, April 1, 33 AD, which puts Messiah’s birth in late August of 2 BC, the right year.

●   4B-1 – The traditional configuration of Holy Week does not work (see Table 5D-1 – Traditional Holy Week in Apr 33 AD) (A) Pro: It puts Messiah’s birth in the right year. (B) Con: It puts (a) only 36 hours between Messiah’s burial on the afternoon of Nisan 14 and His resurrection on the morning of Nisan 16, thereby violating Scripture, (b) the resurrection on Sunday afternoon after the women visited the tomb on Sunday morning, and (c) Day 1 and Day 50 of the Pentecost calculation on Mondays.

●   4B-2 – The Biblical configuration of Holy Week does not work (see Table 5D-2 – Biblical Holy Week in Apr 33 AD) – (A) Pro: It puts (a) Messiah’s birth in the right year and (b) 72 hours between Messiah’s burial on the afternoon of Nisan 14 and His resurrection on the afternoon of Nisan 17, thereby conforming to Scripture. (B) Con: It puts (a) the resurrection on Monday afternoon instead of Saturday afternoon and (b) the women visiting the tomb on Tuesday morning instead of Sunday morning.

●   ¶ 4B-3 – The Biblical configuration of Holy Week works (see Table 5D-3 – Biblical Holy Week in Apr 33 AD) – (1) Pro: It puts (a) Messiah’s birth in the right year, (b) 72 hours between Messiah’s burial on the afternoon of Nisan 14 and His resurrection on the afternoon of Nisan 17, thereby conforming to Scripture, and (c) Day 1 and Day 50 of the Pentecost calculation on Sundays. (2) Con: It assumes a two-day error in the synchronization of the Jewish and Gentile calendars.

Section 5 – The Situation

None of the scenarios above meet all the criteria that I have described. There is a mistake somewhere. The most obvious source of it is me. On the other hand, I am relying heavily on the work of others – particularly for (a) the astronomical calculations and (b) the calendric calculations that (a) determine the days of the week in the Julian and Gregorian calendars and then (b) synchronize them with the Jewish calendar, all of which are complicated.

I have studied this situation for over forty years now, and I still lack a solution.

Section 6 – My Decision

My proposed reconstruction of ancient history depends on identifying when Messiah’s 30th birthday occurred in Tiberius 15, which I have done by showing that (a) John-the-Baptist began his ministry in the summer of 29 AD, (b) Messiah baptism occurred in mid-August 29 AD, and (c) Messiah’s birth occurred in the last week of August 29 AD.

Moreover I have explained that Ernest Martin points out that (a) Saturday, August 28, 2 BC was Tishri 1, (b) it was the culmination of extraordinary astronomical events leading up to it, and (c) proposed that August 28, 2 BC be recognized as Messiah’s birthday. I accept his theory. It fits perfectly with my understanding of what transpired next: (a) Joseph, Mary and the baby Jesus moved from the inn’s manger to a house in Bethlehem, (b) the baby Jesus was circumcised 8 days after His birth, (c) Mary completed her ritual purification 40 days after the baby’s birth, (d) the Holy Family traveled to Jerusalem, where the baby was presented to God in the Temple, (e) the Holy Family travel to Nazareth and their actual home. Meanwhile, (a) the three magi traveled from the east to Jerusalem, reaching there circa the winter solstice on December 21, (c) the magi met with King Herod, seeking directions to the Holy Family, (d) Herod directed them south from Jerusalem to Bethlehem, (e) the magi then got more up-to-date information from someone and traveled north from Jerusalem to Nazareth, while the star (Jupiter per Martin) stood stationary over Bethlehem, (f) the magi visited the holy family on December 25, 2 BC and gave their gifts to the baby Jesus, (f) the magi left, traveling east toward home, (g) probably in early 1 BC, Herod issued his edict that all the Jewish boys between 0 and 2 years old be put to death,  (h) the holy family fled from Nazareth to Egypt, (i) the slaughter of the innocents occurred in 1 BC, (j) a lunar eclipse occurred on December 29, 1 BC, which was undoubtedly the day on which Herod had a man named Matthias executed and another man named Matthias deprived of the position of High Priest, and (k) Herod died in early January 1 AD.[6]

Of course that leaves me with a Holy Week in 33 AD that does not conform to the requirements of Matthew 12:40, which only make sense if Messiah lay in the grave from 6:00 pm at the end of a Wednesday, which had to be Nisan 14, to 6:00 pm at the end of a Saturday, which had to be Nisan 17, whereas the current understanding among chronologists and historians in that Nisan 14 fell on Friday, April 3, 33 AD.

Nonetheless, I will identify Wednesday, April 1, 33 AD as probably Nisan 14 (Passover) and the day on which Messiah died. I will do so because (a) I regard the Scriptures as God-breathed and totally reliable, and also (b) the historical record is riddled with errors, to which my writing on ancient chronology and history attests.

© 2022 John Holbrook Jr.
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[1] The other being Creation Week.

[2] PM stands for post meridiem (Latin for noon when the sun reaches its zenith in the middle of the day).

[3] AM stands for ante meridiem (Latin for noon when the sun reaches its zenith in the middle of the day).

[4] English lacks a term for this period of the day. In Spanish, it is called madrugada.

[5] The tables referenced in this section can be found on this website by going to (a) the Main Menu, (b) Books, (c) 02-A Biblical View of Nearly Everything, and (d) Volume 2 – Ancient Chronology, where there is a list of Tables.

[6] I discuss the issue of the location of the Magi’s visit to the Christ child at some length in my blog of December 16, 2021 entitled “O Come Let Us Adore Him.” Needless to say, I am not pleased to place it in Nazareth, not Bethlehem, but I believe that this is what Scripture indicates.

The Conqueror of Babylon in 487 BC

by John Holbrook Jr.
A Biblical View, Blog #131, posted on December 27, 2021

Much effort has been devoted to reconstructing the Fall of Babylon, and the various versions of it differ considerably and are stricken with inconsistencies.

I start with the Bible. Daniel 5 describes how Belshazzar, the son and co-regent of King Nabonidus, was giving a feast for “a thousand of his lords” (v. 1), and he commanded his servants to bring the gold and silver vessels which Nebuchadnezzar took from the Temple in Jerusalem into the dining hall so that his guests might drink wine from them. Thus, his guests “drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone” (v.4). Suddenly the fingers of a man’s hand appeared and wrote on a wall, “MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN” (V.25), and Belshazzar was greatly troubled. He called upon his wise counselors to tell him what the words meant, but they could not. Then he called upon Daniel, who first reminded him that he had given the vessels from the Temple to his guests for drinking wine and had praised the gods of inanimate metals, but had not glorified “the God in whose hands thy breath is” (v.23). Thus, this God had ‘weighed him in the balance, found him wanting’ (v.27), and decreed that his kingdom was “finished” (v.26). That night, Babylon fell to Darius the Mede (v.31) and Belshazzar was slain (v.30).

The foregoing account completely disqualifies such stories as Cyrus-the-Great besieging the city and diverting the Euphrates to gain access to it. If that were true, would the Babylonians have been feasting in the palace while an immense Persian army was clambering at their walls and gates? Furthermore, it completely contradicts the identity of the story’s central character: Babylon fell to Darius-the-Mede, not Cyrus-the-Great.

Elsewhere, I establish to my general satisfaction that the rulers of the Medo-Persian Empire were as follows:

Achaemenes (PE-01) reigned for an unknown number of years (unknown date-c.667 BC). He probably (a) probably began his reign during the reign of the Assyrian king Shalmaneser V (NA-11), and later attacked the Assyrian king Sennacherib (S-02).

Teispes (PE-02), who was probably also known as Deioces, reigned for 35 years (c.667-c.632 BC).. He was the king of Ashan (Persia?).

Phraortes (PE-03), who was probably the son of Teispes=Deioces and the father of Cyrus I=Cyaxerxes, reigned for 22 years (c.632-610 BC. He was probably the king of Ashan. He was killed in a battle with Assurbanipal (SD-04), the king of Assyria.

 ———-Hiatus (c.632-c.599 BC) – There appears to have been roughly a decade here when the Scythians exercised a measure of control over Anshan (Persia?).

Cyrus I (PE-04), who was (a) the son of Phraortes and the father of Cambyses I and (b) also called Cyaxerxes, reigned for 20 years (599-579 BC).

Cambyses I (PE-05), who was also called Cambyses-the-Elder, reigned for 21 years (579-558 BC),. He was king of Ashan, but a vassal of Astyages, King of Medea. He was married to Mandane, daughter of Astyages.

Cyrus II (PE-06), who was also called Cyrus-the-Great and Cyrus-the-Elder, reigned for 29 years (558-529 BC). He conquered Medea in 548 BC and then Lydia in 546 BC.

Cambyses II (PE-07), who was also called Ahasuerus I, reigned for 7 years (529-522 BC). He conquered Egypt in 525 BC.

Bardiya (PE-08) reigned for a few months in 522 BC. He was killed by a distant relative, Darius I, who succeeded him.

Darius I (PE-09), who (a) was also called Darius-the-Mede and Darius-the-Great, reigned for 37 years (522-485 BC). He (a) conquered Egypt in 522 BC, (b) invaded the Indus Valley in 516 BC, (c) failed in his siege of Naxos in 499 BC, (d) lost the battle with the Greeks at Marathon in 490 BC, and (e) conquered Babylon in 487 BC.

Cyrus-the-Persian of the Bible (PE-10), whom I identify as Cyrus III (see Daniel 6:28, which describes the order of the Persian kings in Babylon as first “the reign of Darius” and then “the reign of Cyrus the Persian”) and who was undoubtedly the eldest son of Darius I, reigned for 3 years (485-482 BC). I believed that he was killed by assassins who were hired by his younger brother, Xerxes I, who probably (a) was in Persepolis at the time and (b) erased all traces of him in Persia, and (c) claimed that his own reign started in 485 BC. Thus, the only record of Cyrus III’s existence is contained in the Bible.

Xerxes I (PE-11), who was also known as Xerxes-the-Great, probably served as co-regent to his older brother for 3 years (485-482 BC) and then as king of Persia for 17 years (482-465 BC). He held a feast in 479 BC and probably married Esther c. 475 BC.

Artaxerxes I–Longimanus (PE-12), who was the son of Xerxes I and the father of Xerxes II, Sogdianus, and Darius II, reigned for 41 years  (465-424 BC). He sent his cup-bearer Nehemiah to Jerusalem in 444 BC to govern Judea. He recalled Nehemiah (a) in 432 BC for a brief time and (b) again in 424 BC for good.

Xerxes II (PE-13), who was also known as Ahaseurus 3, reigned for less that a year in 424 BC. He was killed by his brother Sogdianus, who was following the example of his grandfather Xerxes I.

Sogdianus (PE-14) reigned for 1 year (424-423 BC). He was killed by his brother Darius II, who was also following the example of his grandfather Xerxes I.

Darius II (PE-15), who was also known as Nothus and Ochus, reigned for 18 years (423-405 BC)

Artaxerxes II (PE-16), who was also known as Arcases, reigned for 46 years (405-359 BC).

Artaxerxes III (PE-17) reigned for 21 years (359-338 BC.

Xerxes III (PE-18), who was also knowns as Arses, reigned for 2 years (338-336 BC).

Darius III (PE-19), who was also known as Codomanus, reigned for 6 years (336-330 BC). He was defeated by Alexander the Great in 330 BC.

Ariobarzane (PE-20) reigned for 1 year (330-329 BC). He rebelled against and was defeated by Alexander.

Phrasaortes (PE-21) spent 1 year (329-328 BC) as a satrap under Alexander.

The orthodox chronology indicates (a) that Cyrus-the-Great reigned 29 years (559-530 BC), (b) that he conquered Babylon in 539 BC, which was year 17 of the Babylonian king Nabonidus, (c) that Darius II reigned for 36 years (522-486 BC), and that in his first 2 years (522-521 BC), he was forced to dispose of two members of the Babylonian royal line, Nebuchadnezzar III and Nebuchadnezzar IV, each of whom claimed to be (a) a son of Nabonidus and (b) entitled to the Babylonian throne. The foregoing is surprising in that Darius I’s trouble with the Babylonian contenders would have occurred 17-19 years after the end of the Babylonian Empire in 539 BC.

On the other hand, if my chronology is correct, and the Fall of Babylon occurred in 487 BC, this trouble would have occurred in the last two years (487-485 BC) of Darius I’s reign, exactly where I would expect it. Moreover it would have added to the confusion surrounding the transition from Darius I to the next Persian king, whom I identify as Cyrus III, not Xerxes I.

© 2021 John Holbrook Jr.
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O Come Let Us Adore Him!

by John Holbrook Jr.
A Biblical View, Blog #130 posted December 16, 2021, edited January 3, 2022.

Outside of Creation, the four most stupendous events in history are the birth, death, resurrection, and ascension of Yeshua (Jesus in English) of Nazareth, a simple carpenter whose bloodline nonetheless could be traced back to Adam through the Jewish kings, the Jewish patriarchs, and the ancient patriarchs. This bloodline derived from His mother, a simple, unwed Jewish maiden whose name was Miriam (Mary in English), and who bore Him in a lowly manger in a lowly town in a small country under the thumb of the mighty Roman Empire.

Here I will focus on the first event, the birth of Jesus, which has inspired some of the greatest literature, music, painting, and sculpture ever crafted by human hands. The musical paeans range from the poignant strains of Silent Night to the grandeur and glory of Handel’s Messiah, but all pay homage to “the King of kings and Lord of lords” who “…shall reign forever and ever.” Not surprisingly, Christmas carols are sung with gusto by believers and unbelievers alike, which I actually witnessed for several years at the annual singing of Christmas carols in the Winter Garden of the World Financial in lower Manhattan, where I worked in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Despite Jesus’ lowly estate, He did not arrive unannounced. He was preceded by proclamations of His coming that have never been matched in human history. In order to describe them however, I must first establish the context into which He was born.[1]

1 – SYNCHRONIZATION BETWEEN SACRED & SECULAR CALENDARS

First, we need to know the date of Jesus, birth in the Gregorian Calendar.

The only sure chronological link between biblical chronology and secular chronology is found in Luke 3:1-3: “Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judaea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of Ituraea and of the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias the tetrarch of Abilene, Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests, the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins” (KJV).

On August 19, 14 AD, Augustus died and was succeeded by Tiberius Caesar. Hence, according to the accession year system, Tiberius’s accession year was 14 AD, his first regnal year was 15 AD, and his fifteenth regnal year was 29 AD (29 AD = 57/43 Augustus = 0 Tiberius).[2] Hence, 15 Tiberius = 29 AD.

According to the Scriptures, (a) John-the-Baptist started his ministry in 15 Tiberius, (b) soon thereafter he baptized Jesus, (c) soon thereafter Jesus celebrated His 30th birthday, (d) immediately thereafter Jesus went on a 40-day Sojourn in the Wilderness, (e) immediately thereafter Jesus commenced His 3.5 year ministry, and (f) early in April of the following year Jesus was crucified on Passover. Thus, Jesus was born in late August or early September of 2 BC and died on Passover in 33 AD.

In 2 BC, 1 Tishri (the 1st day of the 7th month in the Jewish calendar), fell on August 28. 1 Tishri is Rosh Hashanah, the Feast of Trumpets, when several shofars are blown in the Temple in Jerusalem to announce the beginning of the sacred year. There is no doubt in my mind that the 1st Advent of the Jewish Messiah, who is also the Lord and Savior of Mankind, occurred on that day.

On March 16, 37 AD, Tiberius died and was succeeded by Gaius Caesar (Caligula). Hence, 37 AD = 23 Tiberius = 0 Gaius.

2 – THE REIGN OF KING HEROD-THE-GREAT

 Next step, we need to know the context of Jesus’ life in Judea, which occurred during the reign of  King Herod-the-Great, a satrap of the Roman Empire.

In 40 BC, which was 4 Augustus, Herod was appointed King of Judea by the Roman emperor Caesar Augustus.[3] Hence, 40 BC = 4 Augustus = 0 Herod.

In 37 BC, which was 7 Augustus, Herod took Jerusalem. Hence, 37 BC = 7 Augustus = 3/0 Herod.

In either 5 BC or 3 BC, Herod appointed his son Archelaus as co-regent of Judea and Samaria (I prefer the former because there are indications that Archelaus reigned for a total of 10 years, 5 years (4 BC-1 AD) as co-regent and 5 years (1-6 AD) as king). Josephus appears to have erred in subtracting three years of this co-regency from Herod’s full reign, thereby arriving at a 37 year reign for Herod. He may have been influenced by the fact that, after the death of Herod and Archelaus, Antipas and Philip both claimed that their reigns had commenced at the same time as their brother Archelaus’s co-regency.

On August 28, 2 BC, Jesus of Nazareth was born.

Circa December 23-25, 2 BC, the Magi visited Herod in Jerusalem seeking directions to the birthplace of the newborn King, whom they had been prompted by prophecy and the stars to visit and to pay homage.

Probably early in January 1 BC, Herod issued an edict that all Jewish boys in his kingdom who were under the age of two be killed – an atrocity that is called the Slaughter of the Innocents.[4]

On December 29, 1 BC, an eclipse of the moon occurred on the day on which Herod had a man named Matthias executed and another man named Matthias deprived of the position of High Priest.

On January 3, 1 AD, five days after the lunar eclipse, Herod died (40 years from his appointment as King of Judea in 40 BC and 37 years from his Conquest of Jerusalem in 37 BC).

At this point, I am ready to describe the ways in which God announced the 1st Advent of His Son.

 3 – THE PROPHECIES IN THE HOLY SCRIPTURES

Both the Tenakh (the Old Testament) and the New Covenant Scriptures (the New Testament) are all about Yeshua, the Son of God, who, in perfect accord with the instructions of His Father and with the help of the Holy Spirit, made, sustains, manages, redeemed, and will judge Universe. Not surprisingly, the Bible contains many prophecies concerning Him. In the Appendix – Messiah’s Prefigurement in Scripture below, I list 45 prophecies, but I am sure that I have missed others.

4 – THE PROCLAMATION OF THE STARS

As the 1st Advent of His Son approached, God placed a message in the heavens over Mankind’s head.

In those days, everyone watched the stars. What would people throughout the world have seen in the heavens, which, for example, undoubtedly played a role in prompting the Magi to travel to Judea? Here are the highlights.

On August 1, 3 BC, Jupiter rose as a morning star.[5]

On August 12, 3 BC, after leaving the vicinity of the Sun, Jupiter (the Father) conjoined with Venus (the Mother), and together they rose as an unusually bright morning star. Jupiter was often associated with the birth of kings, and this event would have been regarded as a harbinger of the birth of a king. Meanwhile, the sun (the Supreme Father), the Moon (also a mother), and Mercury (the Messenger of the gods), congregated in the constellation Leo (the Lion) – not only was Leo Judah’s natal sign, but Messiah was called “the Lion of the Tribe of Judah.” [6]

During the next twenty days, Mercury moved toward Venus in the constellation Leo (their conjunction occurred circa September 1, 3 BC), while the Sun moved out of the constellation Leo and into the constellation Virgo (the Virgin) and Jupiter entered the constellation Leo. These events appear to echo some of the themes surrounding Messiah’s first advent, when a Messenger, John-the-Baptist, would announce the coming of a prince (Gabriel’s term for Messiah in the vision he gave to Daniel), who would be born as the Son of God and Miriam (a virgin mother) and would reign over all as King of kings and Lord of lords.[7]

On September 14, 3 BC, Jupiter conjoined with Regulus (the King), a star of the first magnitude and the chief star of the constellation Leo, for the first time.[8]

On February 17, 2 BC, Jupiter conjoined with Regulus for the second time. They were joined by the Moon.[9]

Circa February 27 or March 13, 2 BC (G), John-the Baptist was born – just over nine months [10] after his conception circa Saturday, May 23 or June 6, 3 BC and just over five and a half months prior to Messiah’s birth on August 28, 2 BC.

On May 8, 2 BC, Jupiter conjoined with Regulus for the third time.[11]

On June 17, 2 BC, after continuing its westward passage across the sky, Jupiter conjoined with Venus in the constellation Leo at the exact time of a full Moon. The two planets were so close that they would have appeared as one gigantic star in a marriage union.[12]

On August 27, 2 BC, Jupiter and Mars (the Warrior) conjoined, with Mercury and Venus nearby. Together the four planets constituted what in astrological circles is known as a “massing of the planets” in the constellation Leo. At the same time, the Sun was entering the constellation Virgo.[13]

On August 28, 2 BC (G), which was Tishri 1 (the 1st day of the 7th month in the Jewish calendar), Rosh Hashanah, and the Feast of Trumpets, Jesus the Messiah was born.[14] (2 BC = 42 Augustus)

On December 22, 2 BC, after leaving the company of Mercury, Mars, and Venus and travelling westward for four months, Jupiter stopped in the sky – having reached a stationary point between its progression and regression with respect to Earth. It would have appeared motionless in the sky for a period of six days centered on December 25, 2 BC. From the perspective of Jerusalem at dawn, the normal time for astronomical observations, Jupiter would have been located in the meridian position at an elevation of 68 degrees above the southern horizon, which would have put it in the abdomen of Virgo (the Virgin) and directly over Bethlehem.[15] In addition, the Sun reached the Winter Solstice on December 21/22 and therefore was also standing still in the sky.[16] Thus, after following a star (undoubtedly Jupiter) for months, the Magi may have arrived in Jerusalem at the start of Jupiter’s six days of motionlessness in the sky, met with Herod, and then set out for the Holy Family’s home (see The Magi below).

5 – THE ANNUNCIATION TO MARY

Circa November, 3 BC, the Archangel Gabriel appeared to the young woman whom God chose to be the mother of his Son.

And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, To a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored One, the Lord is with you!” But she was greatly  troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb, and bear a son, and you shall call his name JESUS. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore he child to be born will be called holy – the Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.” And Mary said, “Behold the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her. (KJ21 Luke 1:26-38)

6 – THE ANNUNCIATION TO THE SHEPHERDS

In the evening of August 28, 2 BC, an angel appeared to a group of Shepherds in the fields outside of Bethlehem. They were probably boys and young men from lowly families who were working for a pittance, if anything, and seldom encountered anything exciting other than an attack on their flocks by a predator.

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them, and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them. “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you: Ye shall find the Babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” (KJ21 Luke 2:8-14)

They immediately left their flocks and went to the manger next to the inn in town, where they gazed in wonder at the newborn babe sleeping in a bed of straw – a reaction in stark contrast to the later response of the Judean king in Jerusalem.

 7 – THE MESSIAH’S BIRTH & EARLY MONTHS

In the summer of 4 BC, Sulpicius Quirinius became governor of the province of Syria, replacing Quintilius Varus and continuing in that position until the summer of 2 BC, when he in turn was replaced by Gaius Caesar. Quirinius was undoubtedly the Cyrenius (in Greek, Kyrenios) whom Luke identified as the governor of Syria at the time that Joseph and Mary were traveling to Bethlehem.[17]

Circa late August, 3 BC, Augustus required that the population of Palestine be registered for the fifth time during his reign (censuses occurred in 21 BC, 16 BC, 11 BC, 8 BC, and 3 BC).  Typically, a census required about a year to complete, and thus the fifth census ended a year or more later – in the summer or fall of 2 BC.

Circa November, 3 BC, the Archangel Gabriel delivered the Annunciation to Mary.

Circa November 21, 3 BC (G), Jesus was conceived – just over five and a half months after John-the-Baptist was conceived and just over nine months[18] prior to His birth on August 28, 2 BC.

In late August, 2 BC, Sulpicius Quirinius (Cyrenius) was replaced as governor of Syria by Gaius Caesar. There are indications that Gaius was actually in Rome at the time, which might indicate that Quirinius continued to govern for a while beyond the formal end to his term.

In late August, 2 BC, toward the end of the fifth census, Joseph and Mary were making their way from Nazareth to Bethlehem (Joseph’s home town) to be counted in the fifth census, which had commenced the previous year and was probably nearing its end.[19]

On August 28, 2 BC (G), which was Tishri 1 (the 1st day of the 7th month in the Jewish calendar), Rosh Hashanah, and the Feast of Trumpets, Jesus the Jewish Messiah was born.[20] (2 BC = 42 Augustus).

On September 5, 2 BC (G) which was Tishri 9, Jesus was circumcised.[21]

On October 7, 2 BC (G), which was the 40th day following Jesus’ birth, on which (a) Mary completed the ritual purification (or tahara) of a woman after giving birth to a son[22] and (b) the Holy Family traveled to Jerusalem.[23]

On October 8, 2 BC (G), Joseph and Mary took Jesus to the temple to be dedicated, and both Simon[24] and Anna[25] identified Him as the One who would be the source of salvation or redemption in Israel.[26] Then, after Jesus’ dedication, the family journeyed to Nazareth.[27]

Soon after October 8, 2 BC (G), the Holy Family was back living in their home in Nazareth.

On December 25, 2 BC (G), the Magi visited the Holy Family in their home.

8 – THE VISIT OF THE MAGI

The Bible indicates that Wise Men (now better known as the Magi) from the Orient (lands east of the Persian Gulf) undertook an arduous journey from their homelands to Jerusalem to pay homage to the newborn King. They claimed that they had followed a star, which is now called the Star of Bethlehem. They brought Him gifts of gold,[28] frankincense,[29] and myrrh.[30] In doing so, they set an example for all Gentiles of how we should respond to the advent of the newborn King, the Son of God, the Jewish Messiah, by worshipping Him, honoring Him, and obeying Him.[31]

Because there were three gifts, biblical commentators have assumed that there were three Magi, and they have named them Balthasar, Melchior, and Gaspar (or Casper). According to western church tradition, Balthasar is often represented as a king of Arabia or sometimes Ethiopia, Melchior as a king of Persia, and Gaspar as a king of India.

The visit of the Magi actually presents us with a puzzle which I have not yet solved. We can be reasonably sure that the Magi arrived at the Holy Family’s house or home [32] sometime between Jesus’ birth on August 28, 2 BC and December 25, 2 BC, just short of a four month period, although some commentators have argued for as much as a two year period.

Years ago, after reading Ernest Martin’s book, I thought that the Magi had visited Jesus in Bethlehem on December 25, 2 BC. Recently,[33] after I worked out the chronological sequence involving (a) Jesus’ circumcision, (b) Mary’s purification, (c) the family’s trip from Bethlehem to Jerusalem, (d) Jesus’ dedication in the Temple, and (e) the family’s trip to Nazareth (see above), I realized that there is a serious problem here – a conflict between location and timing.

The Bible indicates that the Holy Family resided in (a) Bethlehem from August 28 to October 7, (b) Jerusalem, from October 7 to October 8, and (c) Nazareth, soon after October 8.

The Bible indicates that the Magi first visited Herod in Jerusalem to get directions, and Herod told them to go to Bethlehem, [34] but then the Bible does not say that the Magi went to Bethlehem. Instead, it says that “…they departed [from Jerusalem]; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.” [35]

Well, where was He? The answer to this question is not as straight forward as it seems.

First, the Bible records that, “…when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem.”[36] Clearly, the Magi left the Orient and travelled westward to Jerusalem. They explained to Herod that “we have seen his star in the east.”[37] If you take what they said literally, they would have seen the star in the sky somewhere over China, east of their homelands. Since they started in the east and followed the star to the west, however, they must have meant that, when they were in the east, they saw the star in the west and followed it to Jerusalem. Otherwise, the verse makes no sense.

Second, the Bible is silent concerning where the star was at the time, Martin identifies the star as Jupiter and says that, on December 25, 2 BC, a viewer in Jerusalem would have seen it standing over Bethlehem roughly 5 miles to the south by southwest. Unfortunately, by then the Holy Family was in Nazareth, roughly 90 miles north by northeast of Jerusalem – a full 180 degrees difference on the compass.

Third, the church has been consistent in identifying the location and timing of the Magi’s visit as Bethlehem and December 25th respectively. The Magi’s visit was celebrated (a) by the churches in the first and second centuries AD as the Feast of the Nativity on December 25th, [38] (b) by Orthodox churches today as the Adoration of the Magi on the same date, and (c) by western churches today as the Feast of the Epiphany on January 8.

As you ponder this problem, keep in mind the Magi’s alternatives once they arrived in Jerusalem. Basically, they could travel in one of four directions: (a) to the north by northeastward to Nazareth (roughly 90 miles away, (b) eastward back to the Orient (a far distance away), (c) south by southwestward to Bethlehem (roughly 5 miles away), or (d) westward to the Mediterranean Sea (roughly 35 miles away). In my view, the only sensible alternatives are (a) and (c).

My solution to the problem, which I hasten to say involves ignoring some of the non-biblical evidence, is as follows. Jesus was born in a manger in Bethlehem on August 28, 2 BC. After Mary completed her ritual purification on October 7, Joseph and Mary took Jesus to Jerusalem, where He was dedicated in the Temple on October 8. Then, they traveled to their home in Nazareth. In late December, the Magi arrived in Jerusalem seeking the newborn King. Although Herod directed them to Bethlehem, the Magi received more up-to-date information from someone else in Jerusalem and went to Nazareth instead, where they visited the One whom they sought on December 25, 2 BC. Meanwhile, the star was standing over Bethlehem to the south. (I admit that I am not happy with this solution. If you come up with a better one, please leave a comment.)

9 – THE SLAUGHTER OF THE INNOCENTS

Soon after the Magi’s visit to the baby Jesus, an angel appeared to Joseph and told him that Herod sought to destroy the baby Jesus, and that he should flee to Egypt with his family until he heard again from the angel. So Joseph, Mary, and the baby Jesus went to Egypt.[39]

Probably early in January, 1 BC, as noted above, Herod issued an edict that all Jewish boys in his kingdom who were under the age of two be killed – an atrocity that is called the Slaughter of the Innocents.[40]

On January 3, 1 AD, as also noted above, five days after the lunar eclipse on December 29, 1 BC, Herod died (40 years from his appointment as King of Judea in 40 BC and 37 years from his Conquest of Jerusalem in 37 BC).

Soon thereafter, an angel appeared to Joseph and told him that Herod had died, and that he should return to Israel. So Joseph took his family to Nazareth.[41]

10 – WHAT HAS BEEN LOST

Because the birth of Jesus and the visit of the Magi have been conflated, His birth has been celebrated on the wrong date for over two millennia. Moreover, important aspects of His birth have been lost, such as (a) His coming being proclaimed by the stars, (b) His arrival coinciding with Rosh Hashanah or the Feast of Trumpets, when the sounds of the shofars blowing in the Temple could be heard throughout Old Jerusalem, and (c) His adoration by the Magi indicating the importance to Mankind of what He would accomplish during His time on Earth, such as (a) fulfilling the requirements of the Mosaic Covenant perfectly and (b) instituting the New Covenant with His faithful Jewish and Gentile followers throughout the ages, who would constitute His Bride for all eternity.

© 2021 John Holbrook Jr.
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APPENDIX – MESSIAH’S PREFIGUREMENT IN SCRIPTURE [42]
(prophecies concerning our Lord and their fulfillment)

01 – He would be the seed of a woman.

This prophecy occurs in Genesis 3:15: “[God says to Satan]…I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.”

Galatians 4:4 records its fulfillment: “…when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law….”

02- He would be the seed of Abraham.

This prophecy occurs in Genesis 12:3: “[God says to Abraham]…in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.”

Luke 3:34 records its fulfillment in the genealogy which traces Jesus’ blood line from Mary back to Adam: “…Abraham, who was the son of Thara….”

03 – He would be the seed of Isaac.

This prophecy occurs in Genesis 17:19: “…God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him.”

Luke 3:34 records its fulfillment in the genealogy which traces Jesus’ blood line from Mary back to Adam.: “…Isaac, who was the son of Abraham,….”

04 – He would be the seed of Jacob.

This prophecy occurs in Numbers 24:17: “…there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel,….”

Luke 3:34 records its fulfillment in the genealogy which traces Jesus’ blood line from Mary back to Adam: “…Jacob, who was the son of Isaac,….”

05 – He would be from the tribe of Judah.

This prophecy occurs in Genesis 49:10: “The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.”

Luke 3:33-34 records its fulfillment in the genealogy which traces Jesus’ blood line from Mary back to Adam: “…Judah, which was the son of Jacob….”

06 – He would be a descendant of David.

This prophecy occurs in 2 Samuel 7:12-13:  “[God says to David] …when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom forever.”

Luke 3:33-34 records its fulfillment in the genealogy which traces Jesus’ blood line from Mary back to Adam: “…David, who was the son of Jesse….”

Romans 1:3 also records its fulfillment: “Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was made of the seed of David according to the flesh….”

07 – He would be heir to the throne of David.

This prophecy occurs in Isaiah 9:7: “Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.”

Luke 1:32 records its fulfillment: “[The angel Gabriel says to Mary] He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.”

08 – He would appear before the scepter departed from Judah.

This prophecy occurs in Genesis 49:10: The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.

All four Gospels record its fulfillment: Judah still occupied the Promised Land in Jesus’s time.

09 – He would be born at a specific time.

This prophecy occurs in Daniel 9:25: “Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.”

Luke 2:1-2 records its fulfillment: “…it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)”

10 – He would be born in a specific place, Bethlehem of Judea.

This prophecy occurs in Micah 5:2: “…thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.”

Luke 2:4-7 records its fulfillment: “And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.”

11 – He would be born of a virgin.

This prophecy occurs in Isaiah 7:14: “…the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”

Luke 1:26-35 records its fulfillment: “…in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS….Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.”

12 – He would be named before He was born.

This prophesy occurs in Isaiah 49:1: “Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The LORD hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name.”

Luke 1:30-31 records its fulfillment: “And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.”

13 – His birth would entail sorrow for others.

This prophecy occurs in Jeremiah 31:15: “Thus saith the LORD; A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping; Rachel weeping for her children refused to be comforted for her children, because they were not.”

Matthew 2:16-17 records its fulfillment: “…Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Beth-lehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise men. Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not.”

14 – He would flee into Egypt and then return to Judea.

This prophecy occurs in Hosea 11:1: “When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt.”

Matthew 2:14-15 records its fulfillment: “When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt: And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son.”

15 – He would be preceded by a forerunner.

This prophecy occurs in Isaiah 40:3: “The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.”

Matthew 3:1-3 records its fulfillment: “In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.”

This prophecy also occurs in Malachi 3:1 in a slightly different form: “Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.”

Luke 7:24-27 records its fulfillment: “…when the messengers of John were departed, Jesus began to speak unto the people concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness for to see? A reed shaken with the wind?….This is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.”

16 – He would be a prophet.

This prophecy occurs in Deuteronomy 18:15: “[Moses said] The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken….”

Acts 3:20-22 records its fulfillment: “[Peter said] …[the Lord] shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began. For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you.”

17 – He would be a priest – after the order of Melchizedek.

This prophecy occurs in Psalm 110:4: “The LORD hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.”

Hebrews 5:5-6 records its fulfillment: “So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest; but he that said unto him, Thou art my Son, today have I begotten thee. As he saith also in another place, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.”

18 – He would be the Son of God.

This prophecy occurs in Psalms 2:7: “I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.”

Seven passages of scripture record its fulfillment in God’s own testimony:

Three occur at His baptism.

“And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17).

“And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Mark 1:11).

“…and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased” (Luke 3:22).

Four occur at His Transfiguration.

“…a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him” (Matthew 17:5).

“And there was a cloud that overshadowed them: and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him” (Mark 9:7).

“And there came a voice out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him” (Luke 9:35).

“…there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. And this voice which came from heaven we heard….” (II Peter 1:17-18).

19 – He would minister in Galilee.

This prophecy occurs in Isaiah 9:1-2: “Nevertheless the dimness shall not be such as was in her vexation, when at the first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, and afterward did more grievously afflict her by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, in Galilee of the nations. The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.”

Matthew 4:13-16 records its fulfillment: “And leaving Nazareth, [Jesus] came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles; The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.”

20 – He would heal the broken-hearted.

This prophecy occurs in Isaiah 61:1: “The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to [them that are] bound.”

Luke 4:16-21 records its fulfillment: “[Jesus] came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read. And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.”

22 – He would heal the blind, the deaf, and the lame.

This prophecy occurs in Isaiah 35:5-6: “Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert.”

All four Gospels record its fulfillment on many occasions, to which Jesus Himself drew attention in Matthew 11:4-5: “Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see: The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them.”

23 – He would still the tempest.

This prophecy occurs in Psalm 107:29: “He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.”

Matthew 8:23-27 records its fulfillment: “…when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him. And behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep. And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish. And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. But the men marveled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!”

24 – He would speak in parables.

This prophecy occurs in Psalm 78:2: “I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old….”

Matthew 13:34-35 records its fulfillment: “All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and without a parable spake he not unto them: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world.”

25 – He would enter Jerusalem in triumph, riding on a colt.

This prophecy occurs in Zechariah 9:9: “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.”

Mark 11:7-11 records its fulfillment: “…they brought the colt to Jesus, and cast their garments on him; and he sat upon him. And many spread their garments in the way: and others cut down branches off the trees, and strewed them in the way. And they that went before, and they that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna; Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord: Blessed be the kingdom of our father David, that cometh in the name of the Lord: Hosanna in the highest. And Jesus entered into Jerusalem….”

26 – He would be poor and needy.

This prophecy occurs in Psalm 40:17: “…I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh upon me: thou art my help and my deliverer; make no tarrying, O my God.”

Matthew 8:20 records its fulfillment: “And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.”

27 – He would be sold for thirty pieces of silver.

This prophecy occurs in Zechariah 11:12: “And I said unto them, If ye think good, give me my price; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver.”

Matthew 26:15-16 records its fulfillment: “…[Judas] said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver. And from that time he sought opportunity to betray [Jesus].”

28 – He would be betrayed by a friend.

This prophecy occurs in Psalm 41:9: “Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me.”

Luke 22:47-48 records its fulfillment: “And while he yet spake, behold a multitude, and he that was called Judas, one of the twelve, went before them, and drew near unto Jesus to kiss him. But Jesus said unto him, Judas, betrayest thou the Son of man with a kiss?”

29 – He would be accused by false witnesses.

This prophecy occurs in Psalm 35:11: “False witnesses did rise up; they laid to my charge things that I knew not.”

Mark 14:57-58 records its fulfillment: “And there arose certain, and bare false witness against him, saying, We heard him say, I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and within three days I will build another made without hands.”

30 – He would not answer His accusers.

This prophecy occurs in Isaiah 53:7: “He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.”

Mark 15:4-5 records its fulfillment: “And Pilate asked him again, saying, Answerest thou nothing? behold how many things they witness against thee. But Jesus yet answered nothing; so that Pilate marveled.”

31 – He would be despised and rejected by His own people.

This prophecy occurs in Isaiah 53:3: “He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were [our] faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.”

Luke 23:18 records its fulfillment: “And they cried out all at once, saying, Away with this man, and release unto us Barabbas.”

John 1:11 also records its fulfillment: “He came unto his own, and his own received him not.”

32 – He would be hated without cause.

This prophecy occurs in Psalm 35:19: “Let not them that are mine enemies wrongfully rejoice over me: neither let them wink with the eye that hate me without a cause.”

It also occurs in Psalm 69:4: “They that hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of mine head: they that would destroy me, being mine enemies wrongfully, are mighty: then I restored that which I took not away.”

John 15:24 records its fulfillment: “[Jesus said] If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father. But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, They hated me without a cause.”

Luke 23:4 also records its fulfillment: “Then said Pilate to the chief priests and to the people, I find no fault in this man.”

33 – He would be spat upon and smitten.

This prophecy occurs in Isaiah 50:6: “I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting.”

Matthew 26:67 records its fulfillment: “Then did they spit in his face, and buffeted him; and others smote him with the palms of their hands….”

34 – He would be crucified with malefactors.

This prophecy occurs in Isaiah 53:12: “…he was numbered with the transgressors….”

Mark 15:27-28 records its fulfillment: “And with him they crucify two thieves; the one on his right hand, and the other on his left. And the scripture was fulfilled, which saith, And he was numbered with the transgressors.”

35 – He would be pierced in the hands and feet.

This prophecy occurs in Psalm 22:16: “For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have enclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.”

John 20:25-29 records its fulfillment: “…[Thomas] said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe. And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.”

36 – He would be scorned and mocked.

This prophecy occurs in Psalm 22:7-8: “All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, He trusted on the LORD that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him.”

Luke 23:35-36 records its fulfillment: “…the people stood beholding. And the rulers also with them derided him, saying, He saved others; let him save himself, if he be Christ, the chosen of God. And the soldiers also mocked him,….”

37 – He would be given vinegar.

This prophecy occurs in Psalm 69:21: “They gave me also gall for my meat; and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.”

Matthew 27:34 records its fulfillment: “They gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall: and when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink.”

38 – He would pray for His executioners.

This prophecy occurs in Psalm 109:4: “For my love they are my adversaries: but I give myself unto prayer.”

It also occurs in Isaiah 53:12: “…[he] made intercession for the transgressors.”

Luke 23:34 records its fulfillment: “Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do…..”

39 – His executioners would cast lots for His clothes.

This prophecy occurs in Psalm 22:18: “They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.”

Matthew 27:35 records its fulfillment: “…they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots.”

40 – His bones would not be broken.

This prophecy occurs in Psalm 34:20: “He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken.”

John 19:32-33 records its fulfillment: “Then came the soldiers, and brake the legs of the first, and of the other which was crucified with him. But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs.”

41 – He would be pierced in the side.

This prophecy occurs in Zechariah 12:10: “And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.”

John 19:34 records its fulfillment: “But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water.”

42 – He would be buried with the rich.

This prophecy occurs in Isaiah 53:9: “And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death….”

Matthew 27:57-60 records its fulfillment: “When the even was come, there came a rich man of Arimathaea, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus’ disciple: He went to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered. And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, And laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed.”

43 – He would be resurrected.

This prophecy occurs in Psalm 16:10: “For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.”

It also occurs in Psalm 49:15: “But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave: for he shall receive me. Selah.”

Mark 16:6 records its fulfillment: “And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him.”

44 – He would ascend to Heaven.

This prophecy occurs in Psalm 68:18: “Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive: thou hast received gifts for men; yea, for the rebellious also, that the LORD God might dwell among them.”

Mark 16:19 records its fulfillment: “So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.”

Ephesians 4:8 also records its fulfillment: “Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.”

45 – He would be a substitutionary sacrifice.

This prophecy occurs in Isaiah 53:5-6: “…he was wounded for our transgressions; he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.”

Romans 5:6-9 records its fulfillment: “For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly….God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.”
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[1] Historical dates are taken primarily from Jack Finnegan’s Handbook of Biblical Chronology, Hendrickson Publishers, Peabody MA, orig. 1964, rev.1998 (identified in citations below as JF). Astronomical events are taken primarily from Ernest Martin’s The Birth of Christ Recalculated, Foundation for Biblical Research, Pasadena, CA, 1980 (identified in citations below as EM).

[2] JF (1998), p. 280 (column 2).

[3] JF (1964), p. 230.

[4] Matthew 2:16.

[5] Ernest Martin (EM), p. 6.

[6] EM, pp. 13-14.

[7] EM, pp. 14-15.

[8] EM, p. 15.

[9] EM, p. 16.

[10] See the footnote above concerning the human gestation period.

[11] EM, p. 16.

[12] EM, p. 16.

[13] EM, p. 17.

[14] Hebrew date was calculated using [http://www.abdicate.net/cal.aspx].

[15] EM, pp. 21-22.

[16] EM, p. 23.

[17] JF (1964), p. 235.

[18] The human gestation period is about 280 days or approximately nine months and a week (the months average 30.4 days), but this period is not exact and can vary a bit – particularly on the short side in the case of premature births.

[19] Luke 2:1-5.

[20] Hebrew date was calculated using [http://www.abdicate.net/cal.aspx].

[21] Luke 2:21.

[22] Luke 2:22, Leviticus 12:1-5.

[23] Luke 2:22.

[24] Luke 2:25-35.

[25] Luke 2:36-38.

[26] This is in accordance with the principle expressed in Deuteronomy 17:6 and 19:15 that the truth of a matter be established by two witnesses.

[27] Luke 2:39.

[28] Appropriate gift for a king.

[29] Appropriate gift for a priest.

[30] Appropriate gift for a burial. I wonder if Joseph and Mary kept it for use on Passover in 33 AD.

[31] The story indicates that they were adept at reading the stars, familiar with the Holy Scriptures, and undoubtedly believers who desired to worship the Son of God.

[32] Matthew2:2:11.

[33] December 2021.

[34] Matthew 2:8.

[35] Matthew 2:9.

[36] Matthew 2:1.

[37] Matthew 2:2.

[38] EM, p. 22.

[39] Matthew 2:13-15.

[40] Luke 2:16.

[41] Matthew 2:19-23.

[42] I prepared this as a handout to accompany a homily which I delivered at the Church of Our Saviour in Lebanon Springs on April 16, 2003.

 

 

 

 

Predestination vs. Free Will continued

by John Holbrook Jr.
A Biblical View, D129 posted November 17, 2021

On September 2, 2020, I posted a blog entitled “Predestination vs. Free Will,” which addressed the apparent contradiction between predestination and free will. I discussed two of the reasons why many Christians reject the idea that God has preordained who will repent of their sins and accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior.[1] Someone, whose opinion I value highly, suggested that (a) the point I was trying to make there is insufficiently clear and (b) I should provide a further explanation of how I resolve the apparent conflict between the two ideas. Thus, I am returning to the subject here.

The apparent contradiction between predestination and free will has been an unfortunate source of conflict among Christians for years. Augustine of Hippo (354-430 AD), one of the most famous theologians in the history of Christianity, articulated a way to live with the tension between the two ideas, and Luis de Molina (1535-1600 AD), a Spanish Jesuit priest and scholastic, codified Augustine’s idea into a theological doctrine that is referred to under a few names, such as Molinism and Middle Knowledge. Since then, the idea of occupying a middle ground between predestination and free will has satisfied many Christians, some of them quiet prominent, but it does not satisfy me. Moreover, I see a way to resolve the apparent conflict between predestination and free will that does not compromise either idea.

The resolution of the issue relies on differentiating between the locations of (a) the Creator, who exists in a metaphysical realm, and (b) the creature, who exists in a physical realm.

Consider the difference in viewpoints between (a) the author of a drama and (b) a character in one of his dramas. The author, who lives in the real world, has determined what the character will think, say, and do in his script, but the character, who lives in an imaginary world, thinks that he freely chooses what to think, say, or do. That the actor, who also lives in the real world, knows that the character whom he is portraying is completely determined by the drama’s script does not affect the foregoing distinction. Indeed, his job can be described in terms of it. He must do his best to persuade the members of the audience to ignore the fact that what they are watching is imaginary and react emotionally and mentally to what they are watching as if it is real. Indeed, an actor is usually judged by the degree to which he succeeds in getting them to do just that.

Here we get to the crux of most paradoxes, of which the apparent contradiction between predestination and free will can be regard as one. For example, in one of Zeno’s paradoxes, Achilles and a tortoise engage in a race, but the swift Achilles cannot catch the slow tortoise. Why? Well, Zeno creates the paradox by setting the race in an imaginary world of three spatial dimensions, from which the temporal dimension is missing. Thus, the running of Achilles must be described in purely spatial terms. He runs half way to the tortoise. Then he runs half way to the tortoise again. Then he keeps doing the same ad infinitum, but of course he never catches the tortoise. Many readers are perplexed because they conflate (a) Zeno’s imaginary world and (b) the real world in which they live, which are totally different.

The same thing happens in the predestination vs. free-will controversy. The Bible indicates that reality consists of two very different realms: (a) a metaphysical realm where God dwells and (b) a physical realm where humans live. The latter was created and is managed by God in accordance with his design and script. Now, the Bible indicates that God has predetermined everything which happens in his creation, but we believe that we are freely choosing what to think, say or do, and we will even be held responsible for our thoughts, words, and deeds by a perfectly just God when we stand before him on the Day of Judgment. People are only perplexed by this arrangement when they conflate the metaphysical and physical realms, which are totally different.

I recognize that some people may not be satisfied with the above argument, but I am. The distinction between the two realms is accurate. God lives in a supernatural realm, we live in a natural realm, and the two realms are totally different. Also, God created and is managing Universe from outside Universe. He is not subject to the constraints of the physical, space-time continuum, whereas we humans are. Nonetheless, within these constraints, we are free to think, say, and do what we choose, and we will be held accountable for the decisions that we make.

© 2021 John Holbrook Jr.
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[1] There are a number of verses that refer to the Book of Life in which God the Father wrote the names of the redeemed before the foundations of the world were laid – i.e. before Creation Week. For example, see Revelation 13:8.

And another warning

by John Holbrook Jr.
A Biblical View, Blog D128 posted on Wednesday, October 27, 2021; slightly edited on October 28, 2021.

Last night, I participated in a weekly bible discussion in which the pastor of our church asked, How can we summarize the Gospel of Mark? – we had spent months going through it verse by verse. In the course of the discussion, someone noted that she felt that Chapter 13 did not quite fit into the rest of the book. It stood out. I said that I thought it was meant to stand out, but, because I was not feeling well, I did not explain my reasons for saying so very lucidly. I will try again here.

The Question

Chapter 13 is devoted entirely to the Olivet Discourse , which carries a dire warning for God’s people concerning two events that, at the time, lay in the future: (1) the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, which occurred in 70 AD, and (2) the destruction of “the heavens and the earth,” which will occur at the end of this age. The Olivet Discourse indicates that each of these events occurs in response to the Abomination of Desolation, which both Daniel [1] and Jesus [2] mention, and which some commentators characterize as the abomination that makes or causes desolation.

The question becomes, what transgression is so abominable to God that, in response to it, he (a) utterly destroyed Jerusalem and its temple, which included the slaughter of thousands of men, women, and children, and then expelled the Jews from the Promised Land for nearly two millennia (70-1948 AD), and (b) will destroy everything – i.e. “the heaven and the earth” [3] or Universe – at the end of this age?

Before I answer this question, I want to provide a context for my remarks.

The Context

First, the Scriptures describe the Godhead as consisting of three distinct persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. I believe they have played, are playing, and will play different roles in Creation: (1) the Father designed it and all its creatures and scripted it; (2) the Son made it and manages it in perfect accordance with His father’s will; and (3) the Holy Spirit imbues its inorganic parts with energy and its organic parts (its flora and fauna) with life.

Second, the Bible tells a story of how the Father, just as he creates a bride for Adam to be his “helpmete” for life at the beginning of the story, so he is now creating a bride for his Son to be His “helpmete” for all eternity. The story’s genre is a drama, in which (a) the Son is its protagonist, (b) Satan, the most intelligent and powerful of created beings, is its antagonist, and (c) the plot is a familiar one: the protagonist and antagonist are vying for a beautiful girl.

Third, the antagonist and the protagonist embody a dichotomy – i.e. a division between two mutually exclusive or contradictory groups: (1) the Son embodies the positive attributes (virtues) of (a) goodness, (b) honor, (c) humility, (d) light, (e) logic, (f) love, (g) obedience, (h) order, (i) sincerity, (j) truth, and (k) wisdom, all of which are aspects of logos and lead to health in body, mind, and spirit (life), whereas Satan embodies the negative attributes (vices) of (a) evil, (b) dishonor, (c) arrogance, (d) darkness, (e) illogic, (f) hatred, (g) rebellion, (h) disorder, (i) duplicity, (j) falsehood, and (k) foolishness, all of which are aspects of anti-logos that lead to sickness in body, mind, and spirit (death). Note that all of the negative attributes represent the absence of the positive attributes.

Fourth, the crucifixion of the Son marks (1) the end of the Mosaic Covenantal Period, which (a) lasted 1,498 years (1464 BC-33 AD) and (b) required the continual sacrifice of animals and birds in a physical tabernacle or temple to atone for sin temporarily, and (2) the beginning of the New Covenantal Period, which (a) will last an unknown number of years (33 AD-the Parousia [4]) and (b) requires an acknowledgement that the Son died on the cross at Golgotha on Passover in 33 AD as a one time, all sufficient sacrifice for the sins of all men, women, and children who repent of their sins and follow Him faithfully. At the moment of His death, shortly after He said, “It is finished,” [5] the veil in front of the Holy of Holies in the temple was torn from top to bottom, thereby indicating that God’s Shekinah Glory had departed from the physical temple in Jerusalem and now dwells in a spiritual temple, the Temple of the Holy Spirit, in the hearts of His faithful followers.

The Answer

God told Abraham to “Take now thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest,[6] and get thee into the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering upon one of the mounts which I will tell the of.” [7] Abraham obeyed. While climbing the mountain, Isaac asked his father, “’Behold the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb [8] for a burnt offering?,’ and Abraham said, ‘My son, God will provide himself a lamb [9] for a burnt offering.’” [10] At the moment that Abraham was about to plunge his knife into Isaac, an angel stayed his hand, and a ram appeared in a nearby thicket, caught in its branches. “Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son.” [11]

Roughly 1850 years later, God fulfilled Abraham’s prophecy. He provided his lamb on August 28, 2 BC, which was Rosh Hashana, the first day of the 7th month in the Jewish Calendar and designated the Feast of Trumpets.[12] His lamb took the form of a babe in the manger, whom the Scriptures identify as Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God, and “the Lamb as it had been slain.” [13] His 1st Advent was announced by trumpets sounding in the temple and a host of angels singing praises to God over the heads of shepherds, who were tending their sheep in the fields at night. Thirty years later, in August of 29 AD, Jesus underwent baptism by John the Baptist, during which a voice from heaven spoke, saying “This is my beloved [14] Son, in whom I am well pleased.” [15]

What should be clear from the above is that God sent his Son to Earth to become a man and to die willingly on a cross at Golgotha as a one time, all sufficient sacrifice for the sins of His bride, who will be presented to Him pure and holy by His father at the Marriage of the Lamb.[16]

Now, imagine your reaction if your son lost his life while saving the lives of others, and the latter ignored and even demonized him despite what he had done for them. You would be very angry. Well, that was God’s reaction when the majority of the Jews ignored and demonized his Son for what He had done for them at Golgotha and continued to sacrifice animals and birds to atone for sin in their temple. Thus, after giving them 37 years to repent of their treatment of his Son, he poured out his wrath upon them in 70 AD, and he has given us warning in the Scriptures that he will do so again when they repeat the atrocity in the End Times.

Here is the warning that God inspired Paul to deliver to believers in one of his epistles to the church in Thessalonica:

2:1 Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and by our being gathered together to him, 2 we ask you brothers, not be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. 3 Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, 4 who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. 5 Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? 6 And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. 7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. 8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming. 9 The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, 10 and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. 11 Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, 12 in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.[17]

Paul is warning us that God will be sending a spirit of strong delusion into the churches (see verses 11-12 above) that will sharply divide us into two groups: (1) the Lord’s sheep (or the wheat), who will (a) do God’s will by standing fast and opposing the Abomination of Desolation, (b) possibly pay for doing so with their lives, but (c) can look forward to spending eternity with the Lord, and (2) the goats (or chaff), who will (a) do the antichrist’s will by approving of and even supporting the Abomination of Desolation, (b) possibly receive temporal honor for doing so, but (c) can only look forward to spending eternity with the Lost.

My friends, watch out. Read the Scriptures. Be aware of what is coming. Be not deceived. As our Lord said to His disciples on the Mount of Olives,

Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning: Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch. [18]

For a fuller analysis of the great “falling away,” read my essay entitled “The Great Apostasy” in the Orientational Documents section on this website.

© 2021 John Holbrook Jr.
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[1] Daniel 9:24-27.

[2] Matthew 24:1-44, Mark 13:1-14:1, and Luke 21:5-38.

[3] KJV Genesis 1:1.

[4] The Messiah’s 2nd Advent.

[5] John 19: 30.

[6] The first use of the word “love” or any variant of it in the Tenakh or Old Testament.

[7] KJV Genesis 22:2.

[8] The first use of the word “lamb” in the Tenakh or Old Testament.

[9] He second use of the “word lamb” in the Tenakh or Old Testament.

[10] KJV Genesis 22:7.

[11] KJV Genesis 22:13.

[12] His birth probably occurred at 6:00 pm – i.e. the first moment of the new day.

[13] KJV Revelation 5:6.

[14] The first use of the word “love” or any variant of it in the New Covenant Scriptures or New Testament (NT).

[15] Matthew 3:17, Mark 1:11, and Luke 3:22.

[16] Revelation 19:7.

[17] ESV 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12.

[18] KJV Mark 13:35-37.

Another warning

by John Holbrook Jr.
A Biblical View, Blog D127 posted on October 21, 2021.

The alarming deterioration of the USA is accelerating and becoming increasingly noticeable. Rather than repeat what I have written previously on the subject, I refer my readers to a recent and excellent article by Tom McDonald on the American Family Association’s The Stand. It is entitled “America’s Onrushing Collapse!” (see https://afa.net/the-stand/culture/2021/10/americas-onrushing-collapse/. Do not miss it.

© 2021 John Holbrook Jr.
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Nothing is not something

by John Holbrook Jr.
A Biblical View, Blog #126 posted on May 29, 2021, edited on June 1, 2021.

One of the common mistakes in semantics is assuming that some words refer to something rather than to the absence of its opposite. The following words are sometimes useful, but they must be used as adjectives with the full understanding of both user and reader/hearer that in the form of a noun they lack referents[1] and must not be treated as if they actually exist.

Cold in the form of a noun lacks a referent and must not be treated as if it actually exists. It refers to the absence of heat. Thus, cold cannot be used as an actor or cause of anything. Water turns into ice when it loses heat and into steam when it gains heat. Living creatures die when their bodies lose heat. Nonetheless, cold in the form of an adjective can be a useful term in referring to one end of the temperature spectrum, with hot referring to the other end.

Dark in the form of a noun lacks a referent and must not be treated as if it actually exists. It refers to the absence of light. Thus, it cannot be used as an actor or cause of anything. Nonetheless, dark in the form of an adjective can be a useful term in referring to one end of the daylight spectrum, with light referring to the other end.

Empty in the form of a noun lacks a referent and must not be treated as if it actually exists. It refers to the absence of fullness or something. Thus, it cannot be used as a medium through which energy – e.g. light or sound – can travel. Talk about interstellar space being empty or a vacuum makes no sense. Nonetheless, empty in the form of an adjective can be a useful term in referring to one end of the content spectrum,[2] with full referring to the other end.

Evil in the form of a noun lacks a referent and must not be treated as if it actually exists. It refers to the absence of good. Thus, it cannot be used as an actor or cause of anything. Talk about whether or not God created evil make no sense. Nonetheless, evil in the form of an adjective can be a useful term in referring to one end of the moral spectrum that God has established for self-conscious beings, with good referring to the other end. Beings who rebel against God by rejecting his sovereignty and disobeying his commandments inhabit the evil end of the spectrum. Beings who honor God by affirming his sovereignty and trying to obey his commandments, which they can never do perfectly, inhabit the good end of the spectrum. The Bible is full of admonitions to avoid doing evil things and to embrace doing good things.

Infinity in the form of a noun lacks a referent and must not be treated as if it actually exists. It refers to the absence of finiteness or limits. It cannot be used to describe an extent of time or space. Thus, talk about Universe being infinite makes no sense. Universe and everything in it are finite.

Nobody or no one in the form of a noun lacks a referent and must not be treated as if it actually exists. It refers to the absence of somebody or someone. Thus, it cannot be used as an actor or cause of anything. Talk about nobody or no one makes no sense. For example, to be strictly accurate, one must say “the room is empty,” not “nobody is in the room.”

Nothing in the form of a noun lacks a referent and must not be treated as if it actually exists. It refers to the absence of something. Thus, it cannot be used as an actor, cause, or source of anything. Talk about Universe emerging from nothing makes no sense. The Bible indicates that an omnipotent God created Universe with the power of his word, and, without such a God, the origin of Universe is inexplicable.

Nowhere in the form of a noun lacks a referent and must not be treated as if it actually exists. It refers to the absence of somewhere. Thus, it cannot be used to refer to a location from which something came.

Vacuum in the form of a noun lacks a referent and must not be treated as if it actually exists. It refers to the absence of content such as a solid, a liquid, a gas, a plasma, or a combination thereof, all of which are material. Thus, it cannot be used as a medium through which energy such as light or sound can move.

Zero in the form of a noun lacks a referent and must not be treated as if it actually exists. It refers to the absence of number. For example, if you say that a classroom contains 12 boys and 0 girls, the latter is not referring to real girls, because girls are absent from the classroom. It is, however, a mathematical concept or “additive identity” used to create integers – e.g. 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, 101, 102, 103,…110, 120, etc. in someone’s mind or writings.

© 2021 John Holbrook Jr.
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[1] A referent is the objective, material entity to which a word refers – e.g. the referent to which the words “my keyboard” refers is the non-verbal device on my desk with which I am typing.

[2] The content spectrum measures the amount of material in a vessel that contains a solid (e.g. dirt), liquid (e.g. water), gas (e.g. propane) or plasma.

Who was the first monotheist?

by John Holbrook Jr.
A Biblical View, Blog #125 posted on May 28, 2021.

AKHNATON

Historians like to refer to Pharaoh Amenhotep IV, or Akhnaton, the ninth sovereign of the 18th Dynasty, as the first monotheist. He established the cult of Aten, the solar disc, which was one aspect of the Egyptian sun god Ra. Given the extensive pantheon of Egyptian deities at the time, I think calling him a monotheist is a bit of a stretch. In any case, he was far from the first monotheist.

ADAM & EVE

The Bible clearly identifies Adam as the first monotheist. On the sixth day of Creation Week in 3977 BC, the triune God of the Bible who calls himself the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, created and named the first man Adam. Shortly thereafter, God created the first woman to be a helpmete for Adam and the mother of all their descendents, and Adam named her Eve. Both Adam and Eve knew the God who created them. Please note that everyone here is named. Each persons name is a mark of his or her unique identity.

OTHER MONOTHEISTS

The Bible tells us a great deal about Adam and Eve’s descendents. We know not only their names, but, in some cases, quite a bit about them, not the least of which is that many of them worshipped the one true God of the Bible.

The list below identifies the most prominent among them over the course of 3,121 years (3977-856 BC), from the year of creation (3977 BC) to the year when Akhnaton established the cult of Aten in Egypt (c.861 BC). I place the latter’s name at the bottom of the list. Do you think that he belongs there?

ABBREVIATIONS

AP = Ancient Patriarch                                    HJ = Hebrew Judge
BD = Babylonian Demigod                              HP = Hebrew Patriarch
DK = Divided Kingdom                                    UK = United Kingdom
gen. = generation                                              unk. = unknown

 1A – Early Prehistoric Era (3977-2321 BC)

1A-1 Ancients’ Primordial Age = Edenic Age Week (3977 BC)

There is little doubt in my mind that the following men and women worshiped the God of the Bible, who was identified in this age as Elohim.

Adam (AP-01, gen. 1, 3997-3047 BC = 930 years) = Alorus (BD-01).
Eve (gen. 1, 3977-unk. date BC).
►The Adam Disturbance (3977 BC) occurred.

1A-2 – Ancients’ Golden Age = Antediluvian Age (3977-2321 BC)

Although I am sure that they varied in faithfulness and obedience, there is little doubt in my mind that the following men and women worshiped the God of the Bible, who was identified in this age as Yahweh.

Adam cont. (AP-01, gen. 1, 3997-3047 BC = 930 years) = Alorus (BD-01).
Eve cont. (gen. 1, 3977-unk. date BC).
Cain (gen. 2, unk. dates BC).
Abel (gen. 2, unk. dates).
Seth (AP-02, gen. 2, 3847-2935 BC = 912 years) = Alasparus (BD-02).
Enos (AP-03, gen. 3, 3742-2837 BC = 905 years) = Amelon (BD-03).
Enoch (gen. 3, unk. dates).
Cainan (AP-04, gen. 4, 3652-2742 BC = 910 Years) = Amenon (BD-04).
Irad (gen. 4, unk. dates BC).
Mahalaleel (AP-05, gen. 5, 3582-2687 BC = 895 years) = Metalarus (BD-05).
Mehujael (gen. 5, unk. dates).
Jared (AP-06, gen. 6, 3517-2555 BC = 962 years) = Daorus (BD-06).
Methushael (gen. 6, unk. dates).
Enoch (AP-07, gen. 7, 3355-2990 BC = 365 years) = Aedorachus (BD-07).
Lamech (gen. 7, unk. dates).
Adah (gen. 8, unk. dates).
Zillah (gen. 7, unk. dates).
Methuselah (AP-08, gen. 8, 3290-2321 BC = 969 years) = Amphis (BD-08).
Jabal (gen. 8, unk. dates).
Jubal (gen. 8, unk. dates).
Tubal-cain (gen. 8, unk. dates).
Naamah (gen. 8, unk. dates).
Lamech (AP-09, gen. 9, 3103-2326 BC = 777 years) = Oliartes (BD-09).
Noah (AP-10, gen. 10, 2921-2321-1971 BC = 950 years) = Xisuthrus (BD-10).
Japheth (gen. 11, 2421-2321-unk. date BC).
Shem (AP-11, gen. 11, 2419-2321-1819 BC = 600 years).
Ham – (gen. 11, unk. dates BC).
►The Noah Disturbance (2321 BC) occurred.

1B – Middle Prehistoric Era (2321-1464 BC)

 1B-1 – Ancients Silver Age = Early Postdiluvian Age (2321-1870 BC)

Although I am sure that they varied in faithfulness and obedience, there is little doubt in my mind that the following men and women worshiped the God of the Bible, who was identified in this age as Yahweh.

Noah cont. (AP-10, gen. 10, 2921-2321-1971 BC = 950 years) = Xisuthrus (BD-10).
Japheth cont. (gen. 11, 2421-2321-unk. date BC).
Shem cont. (AP-11, gen. 11, 2419-2321-1819 BC = 600 years).
Ham cont. (gen. 11, unk. dates BC).
Arphaxad (AP-12, gen. 12, 2319-1881 BC = 438 years).
Salah (AP-13, gen. 13, 2284-1851 BC = 433 years).
Eber (AP-14, gen. 14, 2254-1790 BC = 464 years).
►The Peleg Disturbance (2221 BC) occurred.
Peleg (AP-15, gen. 15, 2220-1981 BC = 239 years).
Reu (AP-16, gen. 16, 2190-1951 BC = 239 years).
Serug (AP-17, gen. 17, 2158-1928 BC = 230 years).
Nahor (AP-18, gen. 18, 2128-2000 BC = 148 years).
Terah (AP-19, gen. 19, 2099-1894 BC = 205 years).
►The Terah Disturbance (2070 BC) occurred.[i]
Haran (gen. 20, 2029 BC-unk. date BC).
Abram (AP-20, gen. 20, 1969-1870-1794 BC = 175 years).
Sarah (gen. 20, 1960-1870-1833 BC = 125 years).
Hagar (gen. 20?, unk. dates BC).
Ishmael (gen. 21, 1883-1870-1746 BC = 137 years).
►The Abraham Disturbance (1870 BC) occurred.

1B-2 – Ancients’ Bronze Age = Late Postdiluvian Age (1870-1464 BC)

Although I am sure that they varied in faithfulness and obedience, there is no doubt in my mind that these men and women worshiped the God of the Bible, who identified at this age as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Exodus 3:6).

Abraham cont. (HP-01, gen. 20, 1969-1870-1794 BC = 175 years).[ii]
Sarah cont. (gen. 20, 1960-1870-1833 BC = 127 years).
Hagar cont. (gen. 20?, unk. dates BC).
Ishmael cont. (gen. 21, 1883-1870-1746 BC = 137 years).
Isaac (HP-02, gen. 21, 1870-1609 BC = 180 years).
Esau (gen. 22, 1809-unk. date BC).
Jacob (HP-03, gen. 22, 1809-1662 BC = 147 years).
Job (gen. 23?, unk. dates BC).
►The Job Disturbance (1667 BC) occurred.
Joseph (HP-04, gen. 23, 1718-1608 BC = 110 years).[iii]
Aaron (1547-1464-1424 BC = 123 years).
Moses (1544-1464-1424 BC = 120 years).[iv]
Zipporah (unk. dates BC).
Gershom (unk. dates BC).
Eliezer (unk. dates BC).
Joshua (1509-1464-1399 BC = 110 years).
Caleb (1503-1464-unk. date BC).
►The Moses Disturbance (1464 BC) occurred.

1C – Late Prehistoric Era (1464-665 BC)

1C-1 – Ancients’ Missing Age (1464-1008 BC)

Although I am sure that they varied in faithfulness and obedience, there is no doubt in my mind that these men and women worshiped the God of the Bible, who was identified in this age as the great I AM THAT I AM (Exodus 3:14) and the LORD God of Israel (Exodus 5:1, Judges 4:6).

Aaron cont. (1547-1464-1424 BC = 123 years).
Moses cont. (1544-1464-1424 BC = 120 years).
Joshua cont. (1509-1464-1399 BC = 110 years).
Caleb cont. (1503-1464-unk. date BC).
►The Joshua Disturbance (1413 BC) occurred.
Othniel, Judge (HJ-01, unk. date-1350 BC).
Ehud, Judge (HJ-02, unk. date-1270 BC).
Shamgar, Judge (HJ-03, unk. date-1266 BC?).
Deborah, Judge (HJ-04, unk. date-1130 BC).
►The Deborah Disturbance (1261 BC) occurred.
Barak (unk. dates BC).
Gideon, Judge (HJ-05, unk. date-1190 BC).
Abimelech, King (HJ-06, unk. date-1187 BC).
Tola, Judge (HJ-07, unk. date-1164 BC).
Jair, Judge (HJ-08, unk. date-1142 BC).
Jephthah, Judge (HJ-09, unk. date-1118 BC).
Ibzan, Judge (HJ-10, unk. date-1111 BC).
Elon, Judge (HJ-11, unk. date-1101 BC).
Abdon, Judge (HJ-12, unk. date-1093 BC).
Samson, Judge (HJ-13, unk. date-1073 BC).
Samuel, Judge (HJ-14, unk. date-1030 BC).
►The Samuel Disturbance (1058 BC) occurred.
Saul, King (UK-01, unk. date-1028 BC).
Jonathon (unk. dates BC).
Ishbosheth (1067-1026 BC = 41 years).
David, King (UK-02, 1058-1008-988 BC = 70 years).
Michal (unk. dates BC).
Bathsheba (unk. dates BC).
Shebuel (unknown dates BC).
►The David Disturbance (1008) occurred.

1C-2 – Ancients’ Heroic Age (1008-754 BC)

Although I am sure that they varied in faithfulness and obedience, there is no doubt in my mind that these men and women worshiped the God of the Bible, who was identify in this age as the LORD God of Israel (1 Samuel 10:18, 1 Kings 12:24).

David, King cont. (UK-02, 1058-1008-988 BC = 70 years).
Michal cont. (unk. dates BC).
Bathsheba cont. (unk. dates BC).
Solomon, King (UK-03, unk. date-948 BC).
►The Solomon Disturbance (957 BC) occurred.[v]
Shimei (unk. date-985 BC).
Rehoboam, King of Judah (DK-01, Unk. date-931 BC).
Abijam, King of Judah (DK-02, unk. date-928 BC).
Asa, King of Judah (DK-03, unk. date-887 BC).
Jehoshaphat, King of Judah (DK-04, 921-862 BC = 59 years).
Jehoram, King of Judah (DK-05, 893-854 BC = 39 years).
►The Jehoram Disturbance (855 BC) occurred.[vi]
Ahaziah, King of Judah (DK-06, 875-853 BC = 22 years).
Athalia, Queen of Judah (DK-07, unk. date-852 BC).
Jehoash, King of Judah (DK-08, 853-807 BC = 46 years).

●          ●          ●

AKHNATON =Amenhotep IV (841-861 BC), the ninth pharaoh of Egypt’s 18th Dynasty – He was born c.881 BC. He was disowned by his father Amenhotep III and spent his childhood and youth in exile with a relative, the King of Mitanni. He returned to Egypt in 861 BC, where he solved the Riddle of the Sphinx, [vii] married his mother Queen Tiy, and ascended to the Egyptian throne. He commenced erasing records and defacing statues of his father, whom he blamed for his exile. He suffered from a rare deformity,[viii] which he flaunted by appearing in public nearly nude. In 856 BC, he founded the cult of Aten and commenced building the city of Akhet-Aten. The Jehoram Disturbance occurred in 855 BC, which affected Egypt negatively, for which the priests of Amon in Thebes blamed unacknowledged and unatoned instances of patricide and incest. Akhnaton became blind in 845 BC, possibly by his own hand, after which he retired and left the throne in the hands of his eldest son Smenkhare, who served as his co-regent for 4 years (845-841 BC). Akhnaton was formally deposed in 841 BC and went into exile again, probably accompanied by his daughter Bekhetaten. They may have ended up in Greece.

COMMENTS

Although I compiled the foregoing list to make a point about the appearance of monotheism, there is another point to be made here. I beg my readers to apply their common sense to answering the following questions:

First, which alternative is most believable: On the one hand, the Academy claims that the Prehistoric Period lasted 13,799,999,350 years (13.8 bya-650 BC). On the other hand, the Bible indicates that the Prehistoric Period lasted 3,312 years (3977-665 BC). The difference is 13,796,683,688 years – not a trivial number. Does the time period involved seem realistic. Would 13 trillion years or even 13 quadrillion years seem less realistic to you?

Second, which alternative is most believable: On the one hand, the Academy claims that the first men and women evolved roughly 300,000 years ago, but were not named until 1758, when the taxonomist Carolus Linnaeus called them Homo Sapiens. On the other hand, the Bible indicates that the first man and woman were created roughly 6,000 years ago and were named immediately when God called the man Adam, and Adam called the woman Eve. The difference is 294,000 years – again not a trivial number. Would 294 million years or even 294 billion years seem less realistic to you?

Third, which alternative is most believable: On the one hand, the Academy claims that the first men and women, spent (a) 170,000 years (300-130 kya) grunting at one another while they lived in caves, discovered fire, fabricated tools and weapons with stone heads, and killed animals and one another and (b) 120,000 years (130-10 kya) learning to talk to one another, while developing small compounds and villages from which they ventured out to till the fields and hunt animals. On the other hand, the Bible indicates that, immediately after his creation, Adam could understand God, who gave him first a proscription regarding his behavior and then the scientific project of identifying and naming all the animal species, which he completed successfully. Then God created Eve, and immediately after her creation she could converse with God and Adam as they fellowshipped in the Garden of Eden. Does it seem realistic to you that mankind lived together, but could not talk to one another for 290,000 years?

© 2021 John Holbrook Jr.
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[i] Originally, I assigned Terah’s Disturbance to 2070 BC. I forget all my reasons for doing so, but one was certainly the fact that Kenkenes (E03-01) had broken the Akkadian Dynasty’s hold on Egypt, which would have probably occurred early in his reign. In recent years, I have leaned toward 2020 BC, because there was a severe break at the end of Sharguni (AK-10)’s reign, which would have left the Akkadian Dynasty in a weakened state and thereby created an opportunity for Kenkenes to throw off the Mesopotamian yoke. Changing all my documents, however, is beyond my abilities at this point in my life.

[ii] Elsewhere in my writings, I identify the pharaoh whom Abram visited in 1895 BC as Cheops or Khufu, the first monarch of the 4th Dynasty.

[iii] Elsewhere in my writing, I identify Joseph’s name in Egyptian records as Mentuhotep, who governed Egypt for 80 years (1688-1608 BC).

[iv] Elsewhere in my writings, I identify Moses’ name in Egyptian records as Amenemhet IV of the 12th Dynasty, who was co-regent with his foster mother Queen Sebeknefrure for 4 years (1508-1504 BC). He then fled to Midian, where he tended his-father-in-law Jethro’s sheep for 40 years (1504-1464 BC). In the latter year, he returned to Egypt and confronted the second pharaoh of the 13th Dynasty, Concharis, and then led the Hebrew Exodus from Egypt during the Moses Disturbance.

[v] Homer’s 1st Cosmic Battle (957 BC) occurred.

[vi] Homer’s 2nd Cosmic Battle (855 BC) occurred. Homer’s 3rd Cosmic Battle (754 BC) occurred at the same time as the Azariah Disturbance, which was known as the Commotion in the Days of Uzziah. Amos predicted it beforehand. Then he, Joel, Isaiah, and Micah predicted other disturbances to follow.

[vii] The Sphinx sat in front of Thebes and asked a riddle of all travelers who tried to enter the city – “What goes on four feet in the morning, two feet at noon, and three feet in the evening?” The riddle was finally solved by Oedipus, who answered, “Man, who crawls on all fours as a baby, then walks on two legs, and finally needs a cane in old age.” Following Immanuel Velikovsky, I believe that (a) Thebes here was the ancient capital of Egypt during the New Kingdom period, (b) the Sphinx was a statue that sat atop a cliff (possibly the one overhanging the Hatshepsut’s Temple at Deir El Bahari, below which fragments of sphinxes have been found, and (c) Oedipus was the Greek name for Akhnaton=Amenhotep IV (861-841 BC), the ninth pharaoh of Egypt’s 18th Dynasty.

[viii] Progressive lipodystrophy, resulting in the disappearance of subcutaneous fat in the upper body and a marked increase of adipose tissue in the lower Body (below the loins).