From the Creation of the World to the Judgment and the end of Death, this three-part report, in a timeline format with reference and commentary, lists thirty (30) of the most important events in the Holy Scriptures. This article looks at nine BC (Before Christ; or BCE – Before Common Era) events. Of course there are a myriad of significant events in the Bible, but these events are so momentous because they affect mankind’s existence and destiny now and forever. Some of the events are prophesied to come and some are actually a series of events, but so closely related that they are presented under one heading.
God and the Word
“In the beginning was the Word (HaDavar), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God (HaElohim; John 4:24 – of the same Spirit). He was with God in beginning. Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made (John 1:1-3).” Jesus Christ (Yeshua HaMashiach or Jesus the Messiah or Christ; Anointed One; King of the Universe, Melekh ha olam), “He is before all things, and by Him all things (all creation) consist and are held together (Col. 1:17).”
Creation and the Six Days
Our Lord Jesus Christ, “the Son of God is the image of the invisible God and the firstborn of all creation…’ with God ‘created all things in the heavens and on the earth, all things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers… (Col. 1:16).” He created the angels and ‘Lucifer (Satan, the Devil) and those with him that would fall and ‘be brought down to hell (Isa. 14:15).’ “The eternal fire was prepared for the devils and his angels (Matt. 25:41).” The Lord God, “He is the Maker of heaven and earth… and everything in them… (Psa. 146:6; 24:1).” “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth… Then God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light… and God divided the light from the darkness… the Day and …Night. So the evening and the morning were the First Day.”
“Then God (created) …the firmament Heaven… the Second Day. Then God said… ‘Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together… and let dry land appear;’ and it was so. And God called the land Earth…” Then God filled the Earth with grass, “herb that yields seed and fruit trees that yield according to its kind, whose seed is in itself… on the Third Day.” Then God created the stars and the ‘Great light’ and our moon on ‘the Fourth Day.’ On ‘the Fifth Day’ the Lord God placed “creatures and every living thing that move” in the waters and the birds in the air. Then God said, ‘Let the Earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind: cattle and creeping things and beasts… then God (Elohim) said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness (spirit); let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle and all the earth… He created man… the created male and female… then God blessed them and said, ‘Be fruitful and multiply…’ So the evening and the morning was the Sixth Day.” (Genesis chapter 1).
So “the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being (Gen. 2:7).”
CREATION vs. EVOLUTION Debate Part 1
Flavius Josephus follows Septuagint (Greek) Old Testament Scriptures and puts Creation week at 5467BC; Bishop James Ussher places it at 4004BC and most Jewish scholars (traditional) follow the current Hebrew/Jewish calendar where March 2018 = Adar 5778; and the First Day was 3760 BC. However, the Septuagint (LXX) places it at 5554 BC. In all but the current Hebrew/Jewish calendar more than 6,000 years have passed.
Note the first chapter of Matthew lists about 60 generations until Christ (Luke lists about a dozen more).
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+1&version=NIV
https://thetruthsource.org/genesis-chronology/
https://www.preteristarchive.com/Books/1650_ussher_annals.html
Fall of Satan (the Devil/Lucifer) and his Demons
Before the creation of man, Satan ‘and his angels‘ had ‘fallen from heaven (Isaiah 14:12).’ “Satan was blameless (perfect) from the day (he) was created, until sin was found in (him; Ezek. 28:15).” Satan was an ‘anointed cherub… on the holy mountain of God… blameless… until unrighteousness entered him… (so) God drove him in disgrace from the mount of God and expelled Lucifer – Satan – from the fiery stones… (Ezek. 28:16).” The Lord said of the devil (‘the great dragon, that ancient serpent called the devil or Satan; Rev. 12:9), “your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your brightness or splendor (Ezek. 28:17).”
“How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, Morningstar! …For you have said in your heart (spirit/soul): ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars (angels) of God; I wlll sit on the mount of the congregation (assembly)… and ascend above the heights of the clouds, and I will be like the Most High.’ Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, to the lowest depths of the Pit (Hell; Isaiah 14:12-15).”
And so, the Lord made or ‘prepared the eternal life (lake of fire; Rev. 20:14) for the devil and his angels (Matt. 25:41).”
The Fall of Man
“The Lord God planted a garden (by His spoken word) eastward in Eden, and put there the man (Adam) whom He had formed… The Tree of Life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Gen. 2:8).” And there were four rivers that came out of the Garden, including the Hiddekel or Tigris and the Euphrates. And the Lord gave Adam the woman Eve to be his wife (Gen. 2:24). “And the Lord command the man, ‘you may eat freely of every tree except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die (begin to die; Gen. 2:17).”
“Now the serpent (‘the great dragon …called the devil or Satan (Rev. 12:9), was more cunning that any beast of the field which the Lord made (Gen. 3:1).” And he tempted and lied to the woman, saying ‘you will not die… (but) the Lord knows your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil (Gen. 3:4).” “So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food and pleasant to the eyes, and desirable to make one wise, she took its fruit and ate. And she gave to her husband and he ate. Then their eyes were opened… (Gen. 3:6-7).”
“Adam was not deceived by Satan; it was the woman who was deceived and fell into transgression, became a sinner (1 Tim. 2:14).” Yet, Adam sinned by disobeying God and eating of the tree. “Thus, sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death passed to all people, (and) all have sinned (Rom. 5:12).”
Life of Man 120 Years
Before the Great Flood (the Deluge), the Holy Scriptures speak of men living hundreds of years; such as Adam to age 930 or Methuselah, who died at 969 years old – the year of the flood (1656 years after the First Day). Then after several generations, “when men began to multiply on the face of the earth…”because of the actions of both mankind and demons, the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, because he is flesh; his days shall be 120 years (Gen. 6:3).”
Noah and the Flood
“Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. The LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. The LORD said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky; for I am sorry that I have made them.” But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.’
‘…Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time; Noah walked with God. Noah became the father of three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Now the earth was corrupt in the sight of God, and the earth was filled with violence. God looked on the earth, and behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way upon the earth. Then God said to Noah, ‘The end of all flesh has come before Me; for the earth is filled with violence because of them; and behold, I am about to destroy them with the earth. Make for yourself an Ark of gopher wood; you shall make the ark with rooms, and shall cover it inside and out with pitch. This is how you shall make it: the length of the ark three hundred cubits, its breadth fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits… (Genesis chapter 6; cubit ≈ 18 inches).”
“Noah did all that God had commanded him… and he and his household (8 people) entered the Ark… and every clean animal by sevens and of the animals that are not clean by two, a male and a female… and Noah was 600 years old when the flood of water came upon the earth… all the fountains of the great deep broke up, and the windows of heaven were opened… The rain fell upon the earth for forty days and forty nights… (Gen. 7).”
After the Flood, Noah became the ‘father of all nations.’ By the Word and “knowledge of God the deeps boke open, and the clouds drop down the dew (Proverbs 3:20).” “It was the Lord God who split open the sea by His power… (Psa. 74:13).”
Note: there are dozens of difficult cultures and nations that give accounts of a Great Flood – as does the Grand Canyon and many canyons bear witness; or the dead sea shells on mountain tops.
The Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible: “A few random examples will demonstrate the nature of these myths. A Mexican flood tradition has Concox (also known as Tezpi) embarking in a boat with his wife and children, some animals and some grain to escape a great flood…………..In Greenland there is a tradition that after 100 generations had lived on the earth a flood came and destroyed the whole human race……A Hawaian myth describes how, a long time after the first man, mankind became very wicked. One among them was righteous, Nu-u. He built a great canoe with a house on it and stocked it with food and animals……In India the Hindus revere Manu the righteous as the progenitor of the race. A great fish warned him that the earth was about to be covered by water. He was instructed to build a ship, stock it with all kinds of seeds, and take aboard seven holy beings (a total of eight – equivalent to the number on Noah’s ark)……….Chinese tradition identifies Fahhe as the flood hero. He escaped the universal deluge with his wife, three sons, and three daughters. From these the whole earth was repeopled.” (p 798-9, ‘Flood Myths,’ Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible, Vol II, 1997 hardback version).
Though an atheist site; a significant and great list of Flood Stories can be found at:
http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/flood-myths.html
The point should not be that this is another Legend, but that many of these verified that stories of the Flood were told of for centuries.
The King James Version Bible follows the Hebrew Bible or Masoretic placing the Flood at 1656 years after the First Day; the Samarian Version puts it at 1556 and Josephus’ Antiquities 1.81 puts it 2656 years after, changing the ages of several of the first ten generations.
Flavius Josephus follows Septuagint (Greek) Old Testament Scriptures and puts creation at 5467; Bishop Ussher places it at 4004BC and most Jewish scholars (traditional) follow the current Hebrew/Jewish calendar where March 2018 = Adar 5778; and the First Day was 3760 BC. There is a 100 year difference in when Seth was born; and all from Cainan to Nahor.
http://www.bible.ca/manuscripts/Josephus-Flavius-Chronology-Genesis5-Textual-variants-Bible-manuscripts-Old-Testament-Torah-Tanakh-creation-5467BC-age-earth-Daniel9-70-weeks-70AD.htm
Before being the next section; note, years back researching the account of the twelve patriarchs – the sons of Jacob (Israel), I met with one of the most prominent rabbis in the city. As there are different Christian dominations, there are different types of Jews, such as Orthodox, less than 10% of the Jews in America, who are more fundamental in their faith; then, there are modern and liberal Jews who identify themselves with the Jewish race and Israel, but may not believe that the Torah is inspired by God as handed down, or that all the stories are pure accounts. Now most Jews, like most contemporary ‘Christians’ – if there is such a thing – are unequally yoked – they more often than not marry outside their religion. Anyway, I met with this Rabbi, and he had opened on his desk, the Sefer Ha-Aggadah – The Book of Legends from the Talmud and Midrash, which is basically a compilation of various commentaries by Rabbis. During our conversion he says, ‘Adam and Noah and such men likely did not exist, but were used to hand down the accounts or stories of early history.’ So I asked, ‘At what point in the Pentateuch (first five books of the Bible) do you believe the names match real people.’
And he said, ‘Abraham.’ Well understand, if he did not say Abraham, he could not be a Rabbi and would have to give up his faith and his salary. So given that all Jews, Christians and Muslims, and thus most of the people of the world, and earnest historians alike, believe there was Abraham, I said, ‘You believe in Abraham, but not his father Terah, or ten generations earlier, Noah?’ The point is some pick and choose what legends they believe, and some turn their head away from history; but there is history and there is truth. Along with the Book of Enoch, the Book of Jasher, and that of the Twelve Patriarchs, there are many other accounts that verify ancient Jewish history.
Abraham and the Promises
After Abram obeyed the Lord and left his country to journey to land which the Lord told him to go to; when “Abram was 99 years old… the Lord appeared to him again and said, ‘I am God All-Powerful. If you obey me and do what is right (note: Gen. 4:7), I will establish My covenant between Me and you, and I will multiply your descendants exceedingly, and …you shall be a father of many nations. No longer shall your name be called Abram (‘Exalted Father’), but your name shall be Abraham (‘Father of Many’); …I will make nations and kings from you. And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you. Also I give to you and your descendants the land… even all of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God’ (Gen. 17).”
Earlier the Lord had told Abram to ‘get out of your country… to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you (Gen. 12:1-2).’ And the Lord told Abram, “To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates—the Kenites, the Kenezzites, the Kadmonites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.”
Although, Abraham is the Father of many nations – including of Jews and Arabs; it is through Isaac and Jacob that the Land was promised and that the Covenant was established.
Jacob becomes Israel
When Jacob had gone out to face his brother Esau, from whom he stole the birth right of the older son; before he met him; he prayed “Deliver me, I pray, from the hand of my brother… for I fear him… and I will surely do You good…” and Jacob brought offerings of goats and camels and animals for Esau… and sent his family with the offering ahead to Esau.
And the night before he met his brother; “Jacob was left alone and wrestled a man (angel) until the break of the day. And when the holy one (angel) saw that he could not prevail against Jacob, he touched the joint of his thigh; and it was strained (or dislocated)… and the (angel) said, ‘Let me go, for the day breaks.’ Jacob said, ‘I will not …unless you bless me.’ And the (angel) said, ‘what is your name?’ And he said, ‘Jacob.’ And the (angel) said: ‘Your name shall be no more Jacob, but Israel; for you have striven with God and with men; and have prevailed (Gen. 32).”
After Jacob had 11 sons – of the 12 Patriarchs of Israel – God told him to leave Haran, saying, “Arise, go to Bethel and dwell (live/settle) there, and build an altar there to God, who appeared to you…’ So Jacob said to his family… ‘Get rid of the foreign gods that are among you. Purify yourselves and change your clothes; and let us arise and go to Bethel… (Gen. 35)’.”
“So Jacob came to Luz (Bethel), which is in the land of Canaan, he and his family… He built an altar there and called the place El-Bethel (House of God; Holy Place of God) (Gen. 35:6-7).” And “God appeared to Jacob again, when he came out of Paddan Aram, and blessed him, saying, “Your name is Jacob; you shall no longer be called Jacob (from Gen. 25:26, ‘heel;’ supplanter), but Israel (‘Wrestles with God;’ ‘Triumphant with God;’ ‘God Contended;’ ‘God rules’) shall be your name… I am God Almighty; be fruitful and multiply. A nation and company of nations shall come from you, and kings shall descend from your loins… The land which I gave to Abraham and Isaac, I will give to your descendants… (Gen. 35).”
JERUSALEM and TEMPLE MOUNT: TIMELINE and Ownership
The 12 Patriarchs (Sons of Jacob/Israel)
“These were the sons of Israel: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Dan, Joseph, Benjamin, Naphtali, Gad and Asher (1 Chronicles 1:1-2).” Through Levi came Aaron, Moses and the priests of Israel. Through Judah came the kings and through the linage of Jacob and David came Mary’s family and Jesus, the Son of Man and the Son of God. King Saul (of Benjamin) was the first king of Israel, but he was chosen by man; whereas David was chosen by God.
THE TESTAMENTS OF THE TWELVE PATRIARCHS are from The Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha of the Old Testament. They are supposed testimonies left by the sons of Jacob/Israel to their descendants; and they go into much detail about certain biblical accounts.
http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/patriarchs-charles.html
For much more on the sons of Jacob and 12 tribes of ISRAEL see:
https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/3798842/jewish/The-12-Tribes-of-Israel-The-Shevatim.htm
http://www.biblestudy101.org/Lists/12tribes.html
http://sacred-texts.com/chr/apo/jasher/33.htm
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