“The Order Of Prophetic Events” – ‘Part #1’

‘Age of The Law’

We need an overall picture of things to come so when we look at detailed prophetic events we will know exactly where to plug them in. So I am going to try and paint you a picture with words and hope you can see it. If a picture is worth a 1,000 words, then this one ought to be worth 37 anyway. 🙂 The first thing we see is, ‘Creation.’ In 1658, Archbishop James Ussher’s work was published in Welsh, and now we have it in English. He calculated from the ‘Biblical Genealogies’ that Creation occurred around 4,004 BC. Rabbi Yose ben Halafta in 120 AD, 1,500 years before Ussher also calculated Creation occurred around 3,761 BC, a difference of 243 years. (see Ussher’s appendix G for an explanation, or my blog where it is posted). Halafta basically compressed the Persian Empire into 30 years so Daniel 9:24-27 would point to Simon Bar Kokhba in 135 AD as the Messiah, according to Rabbi Akkiba, this is verified in the Encyclopedia Judaica.  Halafta used a lunar calendar and Ussher used a solar calendar, today the Jewish people use a solar/lunar calendar. The ancient Rabbis believed there would be 2,000 years without the law, 2,000 years with the law, 2,000 years with the Messiah and then the Kingdom. Isn’t that part of the Lord’s prayer, which we are to pray, “Thy kingdom come!” The Jewish calendar says it is ‘5772,’ if you add the 243 year error it would be 6015, like our 4004 BC plus 2012 AD equals, ‘6016’ and they too would be expecting their kingdom and praying, “Thy kingdom come!” You have about 2,000 years from creation to Abraham, then about another 2,000 years from Abraham to Christ, and about another 2,000 years from Christ till today, for a total of 6,000 years, waiting for the 7th thousand years or the kingdom of God or the millennium. You can read this in the “Encyclopedia Judaica” vol. 14, pg. 1091, art. “Seder Olam Rabbah” or in “The Annals of The World” by James Ussher, pg. 931-934, appendix ‘G’ – “Seder Olam Rabbah”. Now as we look at the order of prophetic events we will begin with the present and identify the ‘Ten Major Prophetic Events’ that will lead us right into eternity.

“The Age of Grace”

The first thing we see after the cross is the ‘Age of Grace’ or the ‘Church Age.’ We are to be making preparation right now for Christ’s return. In Luke 19:13 He said to His disciples, “Occupy till I come.” In other words, be busy, be pragmatic, stay occupied with the Masters work! Later we will see the ‘Signs of The Times’ which will indicate the, “Imminence of His Eminence!” The Greek word for ‘Church’ (ek-klay-see-ah) comes from two words, the preposition (ek) out of, from, or away from and (kal-eh-o) to call. To call out, or ‘The Called Out Ones.’ Before Yeshua/Jesus left this earth, He promised Peter he would personally build His church. An organism that would not be threatened by Satan or the evil forces of hell, Matt. 16:16-18; v.18 says, “And I say unto thee, Thou art Peter (petros – a stone, a rock, pebble) and upon this rock (petra – a cliff, ledge, huge rock, boulder) I will build My church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it (over power it).” That promise began on the day of Pentecost, Acts 2 and will continue until we hear the trumpet in I Thess. 4:16. For almost 2,000 years, Christ has been calling out from the world those who have turned their hearts to Him; Jew and Gentile; Male and Female; Bond and Free; Adult and Child. We are living in the end of that era right now. I know you are ready to meet Jesus but are you prepared for His return? There is a big difference between those two things, being ready and being prepared! This is not a game of ‘Hide and Seek.’ He said, “Occupy (prag-ma) till I come!” To busy oneself, or one who gets the job done. There is a big difference between idealists and realists; dreamers and reapers. As one of my dear friends used to say, “I’m packed up, prayed up and ready to be picked up.” If He were to come tonight would He find you ready, packed, and your lamp full or do you need to go buy some oil?

“The Rapture or Harpadzo”

The next event on God’s schedule is the ‘Rapture of Harpadzo‘ the ‘Great Snatch.’ I Thess. 4:17, “Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort/exhort one another with these words.” Kenneth Wuest said, “This Greek word, (harpadzo – caught up) has various meanings, to seize, snatch away, carry off, it is used proverbially to rescue from the danger of destruction.” The second coming of Christ will be in two stages; First, He will come ‘FOR’ His church in the clouds. I Thess. 4:13-18 gives us the event and I Cor. 15:51-53 gives us the two categories of the event: First the corruptible, the dead in Christ who must put on incorruption; second the mortal, the living in Christ who must put on immortality. Then later he will come ‘WITH’ His church from heaven, riding on a white horse, Rev. 19:11-16 to set up His kingdom and rule for 1,000 years. I Thess. 4:16-17 says, “The dead in Christ shall rise first; Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” Christ is the ‘Firstfruits among many brethren.’ How did He go? How do you think the rest of His harvest will go? I Cor. 15:20-23. Everything is ready and waiting, just one more soul to be saved to complete the bride and that angel will blow that trumpet! What a motive for soul winning, how would you like to be the one to lead that last soul to Christ when that trumpet blows and we are out of here!!!! I don’t think He will leave His Bride here one extra second, do you? After the ‘Rapture’ two things will happen simultaneously. The ‘Bema Seat’ in heaven for believers and the ‘Great Tribulation’ on earth for unbelievers.

“The Bema Seat” 

The ‘Bema Seat’ is where believers will receive their rewards in heaven, II Cor. 5:10, “For we must all appear before the judgement seat (bema) of Christ, that everyone may receive the things done in his body, according to that he has done, whether it be good or bad.” Rom. 14:10, “But why dost thou judge thy brother? Or why dost thou set at naught thy brother? For we shall all stand before the judgement seat (bema) of Christ.” Two things are going to be judged at this judgement; Your faithfulness in the realm of your gifts and abilities. In other words, what you did with what you were given, idealists are in trouble here; Second, your motives, ‘Why you did, what you did, with what you were given,’ realists could be in trouble here, because your motives will be judged. Rom. 14:10-12; I Cor. 3:11-15; I Cor. 4:1-5; II Cor. 5:10. This judgement is purely motivational and does not deal with salvation only with our rewards. This will happen in heaven for believers, raised at the rapture. Our life and conduct on earth will be evaluated in light of our obedience and rewards will be given to us (or not) by the Lord.

Here are the first four brush strokes of our snap-shot of these prophetic events we will be dealing with in greater detail. I hope you’re getting the picture of what we want to focus on. Make sure you take time to look up the verses and study these portions of Scripture and read, “…Between The Lines…”

“The Order of Prophetic Events” – Part #1 – 5/8/13

“Seder Olam Rabbah” – ‘The Order of the World’

SEDER OLAM, ” The Order of the World”, name of two midrashic, chronological works called respectively Seder Olam Rabbah  (“The Great Seder Olam“), and Seder Olam Zuta (“The Small Seder Olam”)

Seder Olam Rabbah. Seder Olam is mentioned in the Talmud (Shab. 88a; Yev. 82b; et al.) and is ascribed by the Palestinian amora R. Johanan (third century) to the second-century tanna *Yose b. Halafta (Yev. 82b; Nid. 46b). The work is divided into three parts, each consisting of ten chapters. Part one enumerates the dates of major events from the creation of the world until the death of Moses and the crossing of the Jordan by the Israelites under Joshua: part two, from the crossing of the Jordan to the murder of Zechariah, king of Israel; part three, chapters 21-27, from the murder of Zechariah to the destruction of the Temple by Nebuchadnezzar: and chapter 28, from the destruction of the Temple to the conquest of Babylon by Cyrus. Chapter 29 and the first part of chapter 30 cover the Persian period, which is stated to be only 34 years. The larger part of chapter 30 contains a summary of events from the conquest of Persia by Alexander until the Bar Kokhba Revolt. This summary may be an epitome of a large section shortened by some later editor uninterested in post-biblical history. The book is written in a dry but clear Hebrew style. It is embellished with midrashic interpretations of biblical passages which are used as sources for the chronological calculations.

Yose b. Halafta, the presumed author of Seder Olam Rabbah, probably had access to old traditions that also underlay the chronological computations of the Jewish Helenistic chronographer * Demetrius (third century B.C. E.). The most significant confusion in Yose’s calculation is the compression of the Persian period, from the rebuilding of the Temple by Zerubbabel in 516 B.C.E.  to the conquest of Persia by Alexander, to no more than 34 years. Like other rabbinic scholars, he believed that Zerubbabel (sixth century B.C.E.), Malachi, Ezra, Nehemiah (all fifth century B.C.E.), and Simeon the Just (third century) were all contemporaries. The work in its present form has gone through many hands. Some quotations from it in the Talmud are missing in the extant text (see bibl. Ratner, Mavo, 118ff.). On the other hand, the book contains many later additions (ibid., 134ff.).

Seder Olam Rabbah was the first to establish the era “from the creation of the world” (ab creatione mundi, abbreviated A.M. for anno mundi). Utilizing the biblical chronology and reconstructing post-biblical history as well as he could, the author arrived at the conclusion that the world was created 3828 years before the destruction of the Second Temple by the Romans. According to this calculation the destruction took place in the year 68, which is in contradiction to the accepted chronology that it took place in the year 70 C.E. An attempt to harmonize the contradiction was made by E. Frank (see bibl.). It was a long time until the reckoning according to the anno mundi era took root in Jewish chronology. For many centuries the calculation of the Seder Olam Rabbah was of interest only to talmudic students who tried to satisfy their curiosity for historical reconstruction. The usual calculation accepted by Jews in talmudic and even post-talmudic times was that of the Seleucid era, beginning with the year 312 B.C.E., and usually referred to in Jewish literature as minyan shertarot (“dating of documents”). Only when the center of Jewish life moved from Babylonia to Europe and the calculation according to the Seleucid era became meaningless was it replaced by that of the anno mundi era of the Seder Olam.

The first mention of the anno mundi date is in the chronological book Baraita di-Shemu’el (eighth-ninth centuries; see A. Epstein, Mi-Kadmoniyyot ha-Yehudim (1957), 18, 193), on tombstones in Venosa, southern Italy (ninth century; see U. (M.D.) Cassuto, in: Kedem, 2 (1945), 99-120), and in the commentary of Shabbetai *Donnolo (tenth century, Italy) on the Sefer Yezirah (ed. by David Castellie (1880), 3). From the 11th century onward it became dominant in most of the Jewish communities in the world. In the 16th century, Azariah de *Rossi was the first Jewish scholar to doubt the antiquity of the usage of this era (see Me’or Einayimi, ch. 25). Until the 12th century the book was known only as Seder Olam, but the word rabbah was then added in order to differentiate it from the chronicle Seder Olam Zuta. The first to use the name Seder Olam Rabbah was Abraham b. Nathan ha-Yarhi (see Sefer ha-Manhig, 52ab).

The book has gone through many editions and was commented upon by many scholars, among them Jacob *Emden, *Elijah b. Solomon Zalman Gaon of Vilna, and B. Ratner who devoted to the book a separate large introduction (mavo) containing valuable critical references. A Latin translation by G. Genebara of Seder Olam Rabbah and Seder Olam Zuta appeared in 1577, and another one appeared in 1692. An attempt at a critical edition of the book was made by Alexander Marx, who published the first ten chapters of it with a German translation in 1903.

Seder Olam Zuta. This is an anonymous early medieval chronicle. Written mostly in Hebrew and partly in Aramaic, it consists of ten chapters. The first six chapters deal with the chronology of 50 generations from Adam to Jehoiachin, king of Judah, who was exiled by Nebuchadnezzar to Babylon and according to this chronicle was the first of the Babylonian exilarchs. Chapters 7-10 deal with 39 generations from Jehoiachin until the end of the Babylonian exilarchate under the Sassanid dynasty. The object of the chronicle is presumably to show that the exilarchs were of Davidic descent and that the lineage of these exilarchs had died out in Babylon when Mar Zutra (II) left Babylonia for Erez Israel in 520. A detailed account of Mar Zutra’s adventures is given at the end of the book to substantiate this contention. This part, which enumerates the exilarchs of the fourth and fifth centuries, is historically important as it is the only source of information for this period. The Karaites also traced back the descent of their exilarchs through this record.

There is a difference of opinion concerning the time of composition of this chronicle. Many hold that it was written about 804, which corresponds to the date given in the De Rossi manuscript (Parma) published by Schechter…  A scholarly edition of this important chronicle is yet to be made.

(Taken from Encyclopedia Judaica vol. 14, p 1091-1093, 1972)

“Seder Olam Rabbah” – ‘The Order of the World’ 11/14/12

“The Annals of The World” by ‘Archbishop James Ussher’ Part #2

“Annals Of The World by James Ussher – Part #1”

Thus the Seder Olam depicts the Kingdom of Persia lasting a mere 53 years from 374 to 321 BC, rather than about 207 years from 538 to 331 BC. (9) Over the centuries, orthodox rabbis have differed somewhat in their listing of the Persian Kings, but they generally have not departed from the 52/53 year parameter established within the Seder Olam. (10) The result of this shortening of the span of the Persian Empire is that the paramount prophecy and the major foundation block of chronology, “The Daniel 9:25 seventy weeks of years,” has become dislodged! Furthermore, this shortening as perpetuated within the Seder Olam is deliberate!

While not openly admitting this, present day Jewish scholars acknowledge that there is something enigmatic (mysterious or obscure) about the Seder Olam’s dating. For example, after stating that the commonly received dates in the Ptolemaic chronology, “can hardly be doubted,” Rabbi Simon Schwab nevertheless goes on to uphold his own tradition. (11) “It should have been possible that our Sages – for some unknown reason – had ‘covered up’ a certain historic period and purposely eliminated and suppressed all records and other material pertaining thereto. If so, what might have been their compelling reason for so unusual a procedure? Nothing short of ‘Divine Command’ could have prompted those saintly, ‘men of truth’ to leave out completely all data and historic tables in such a fashion that the subsequent chronological gap could escape being noticed by countless generations, known to a few initiates only who were duty-bound to keep the secret to themselves. ” (Emphasis Schwab’s)

This is an astonishing proposal! Schwab, along with other Jewish commentators, further suggests that the reason God directed the Sages of the 2nd century AD to become involved in falsifying the data was to confuse anyone who might try to use the prophecies of Daniel to predict the time of the Messiah’s coming. (unbelievable!)  This was supposedly done to honor Daniel 12:4 which says, “But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book, even to the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.” He adds that the reason the Sages had adopted the non-Jewish Seleucid Era calendar was part of the scheme to do just that, to close up the words and seal the book of Daniel. (12) Schwab also states that if the 165 years were included it would reveal that, “we are much closer to the end of the 6th Millennium than we had surmised.” (13) (Schwab mentions this date as the time when many Rabbis expect the Messiah to come.) No, if the 165 years were included, it would point to Jesus Christ in 33 AD and the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD that’s why! Leon Morris says, “Why? Tradition, that’s why! Tradition is born out of denial of the truth!” But can any sincere reader accept such a flimsy reason as justification for distorting history? It actually accuses God Himself of perpetuating a dishonest deception. (Which is a lie!)

Indeed, it is manifestly apparent that the real reasons for the deliberate altering of their own national chronology in the Seder Olam were: (1) To conceal the fact that the Daniel 9:25 prophecy clearly pointed to Jesus of Nazareth as its fulfillment and therefore the long awaited Messiah; and (2) To make that seventy week of years prophecy point to Simon bar Kokhba! The Rabbis in the century immediately following Christ Jesus had a tremendous problem with so direct a prophecy as Daniel 9:24-27. This chapter speaks of Messiah’s appearing 69 “weeks” (i.e. 69 sevens) or 483 years after the going forth of a commandment to restore and to rebuild Jerusalem and its walls.

Such must either be acknowledged and his person accepted or completely erased from Jewish consciousness. The latter could be accomplished if the 69 or (70) weeks of years could some how be made  to apply to the century after the life of Christ. Then it would be possible for the Rabbis to point to another messiah who, as circumstances would have it was cut off in death some 100 years after the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. (14) The 9th day of the month of Av (July/August) is a great day of fasting and sorrow for Israel. On this day in 586/588 BC the Babylonians destroyed Solomon’s Temple and burned it to the ground. Further, the second Temple was laid waste and burned to the ground by the Romans under Titus on the same day in 70 AD, and on that very same day in 135 AD at the conclusion of a three and a half year revolt, the Romans crushed the army of the “messianic” Simon bar Kokhba (also spelled ‘Cocheba‘).

Bar Kokhba had been declared the long-awaited Messiah by the foremost Jewish scholar of that day, the highly venerated Rabbi Akiva (Akiba) ben Joseph. In 130 AD, Emperor Hadrian of Rome declared his intention to raise a shrine to Jupiter on the site of the Temple, (15) and in 131 he issued a decree forbidding circumcision as well as public instruction in Jewish law. (16) Having preached peace all his life, the 90 year old Akiva gave his blessing to the revolution by proclaiming that Bar Kokhba was the “star out of Jacob” and the “scepter out of Israel.” (Num. 24:17) (17)

In his 98th year Rabbi Akiva was eventually imprisoned and condemned to death by the Romans. (18) Among the many accolades heaped upon Akiva, that which elevated him as a pre-eminent authority, was the acknowledging of him as “the father of the Mishnah.” (19) Such prominence gave great weight to the Messianic expectancy Akiva placed upon Bar Kokhba. Akiva’s students became some of the most prominent sages of the following generation. Among these was Yose (Jose) ben Halafta. Akiva’s influence on Halafta is apparent from a statement made concerning his education, “it was merely said that Rabbi Akiva had been his teacher.” (20) As his mentor, Akiva’s regard for Bar Kokhba would have been thoroughly imbedded in Yose. (21) The preceding overview explains why the Seder Olam is held in such veneration and why the Jews still use it for their national dating. Yet the fact remains that it is a dishonest attempt to conceal the truth with regards to the Daniel 9:24-27 prophecy.

By removing the 164/165 years from the duration of the Persian Empire, Rabbi Halafta was able to make the 483 year Daniel 9:24-27 prophecy fall reasonably close to the years prior to the 132 AD revolt during which Bar Kokhba rose to prominence as Israel’s military and economic leader. (22) Then with Akiva proclaiming, “This is the King Messiah” (23) followed by “all the contemporary sages regarding him as the king Messiah, ” (24) the Jewish populace united behind this false hope.

Dio Cassius states that the whole of Judea was in revolt, the whole nation. To quell the rebellion, Hadrian dispatched Julius Serverus, his ablest general from Britain. The Romans destroyed 985 towns in Palestine/Israel and slew 580,000 men. A still larger number perished through starvation, disease and fire. All Judah was laid waste, and bar Kokhba himself fell while defending Bethar. (25) Even more astonishing is that, “even in later generations, despite the disappointment engendered by his defeat, his image persisted as the embodiment of Messianic hopes.” (26) Indeed, the consistent verdict of Jewish historians is: “The most important historical Messianic figure was surely Bar Kokhba.” (27)

Yose ben Halafta (28) and his fellow compilers of the Seder Olam sought to terminate the 69 “weeks of years” as close to the 132 AD revolt as possible, but they were limited as to where they could make “the cuts.” As the chronology of the Seleucid era onward was firmly fixed among the Jews, years could not be sliced from their history after 312 BC.  Since the Daniel 9:24-27 prophecy dealt with a decree that was biblically and historically issued by a Persian monarch, this left only the Persian period of history for them to exploit. The Persians had been so hated by the Greeks and later by the Moslems that these two conquerors destroyed nearly all the Persian records. This has created great difficulty in recovering their sequence of kings, the length of their reigns, and thereby their chronology. Thus, the Persian period was readily vulnerable to manipulation. (29)

The authors of this article offer the only conclusion and the only reasonable, logical deduction that can be drawn from these historical and biblical facts. I will also include an article from the ‘Encyclopedia Judaica’ on the “Seder Olam” which will help to verify these findings in my next blog. This article was compiled by; Archbishop James Ussher;  Floyd Jones, Th. D, Ph. D.; Larry Pierce; and other minor additions were added by me. I trust this will be helpful in showing why there is a difference of 243 years between the Gentile solar calender and the Jewish lunar calender. It is not just the difference between the sun and the moon it is an intentional, computational difference. However, Dan. 9:24-27 tells us that Israel’s Messiah had to come before the destruction of their Temple and that happened in 70 AD, so if it wasn’t Jesus of Nazareth then who was it?  Make sure on these last two blogs you read slowly and: “…Between The Lines…”

References & Footnotes:

1. The Seder Olam is divided into three parts, each consisting of ten chapters, (called tractates). Part One, gives the dates of the major events from the creation to the crossing of the Jordan River under Joshua’s command. Part Two, extends frrom the Jordan crossing to the murder of Zachariah, King of Israel. (II Kings 15:10. Chapters 21-27 of Part Three, extend to Nebuchadnezzar’s destruction of the Temple and chapter 28 to the conquest of Babylon by Cyrus. Chapter 29 and the first part of 30 cover the Persian period. The remainder of chapter 30 contains a summary of events from the conquest of Persia by Alexander to the 132 AD Bar Kokhba (also spelled “Cocheba“) revolt during the reign of Hadrian (AD 76-138). Encyclopedia Judaica (Jerusalem, Israel: Keter Publishing House, Ltd., 1971), Vol. 14, “Seder Olam Rabbah,” p. 1091-1092.

2. Jack Moorman, Bible Chronology: The Two Great Divides, (Collingswood, NJ: Bible For Today Press, 1999), p. 10-15. Moorman’s research was a primary source for this expose’.

3. Encyclopedia Judaica, “Seder Olam Rabbah.” p. 1092.

4. Ibid.

5. Not having access to Seder Olam for this expose’ the numbers are those recorded by Moorman. As his source occasionally reckoned exclusively or inclusively, so did he. Most Jewish dates may be confirmed in Jack Finegan, ‘Handbook of Biblical Chronology’ (Peabody MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1998), p. 130.

6. Moorman, Bible Chronology: The Two Great Divides, p. 12.

7. Ibid.

8. Martin Anstey, The Romance of Bible Chronology (London: Marshall Bros., 1913), p. 23-24.

9. Moorman, Bible Chronology: The Two Great Divides, p. 12.

10. Ibid. p. 13.

11. Simon Schwab, Dr. Joseph Breuer Jubilee Volume, “Comparative Jewish Chronology,” (New York, NY: Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch Publications Society, Philipp Felheim Inc., 1962), p. 188.

12. Shimon Schwab, Selected Speeches: A Collection of Addresses and Essays on Hashkafah, Contemporary Issues and Jewish History, “Comparative Jewish Chronology” (lakewood, NJ: CIS Pub., 1991), p. 270-272.

13. Schwab, Dr. Joseph Breuer Jubilee Volume, p. 190-191.

14. Of course no such admission by any of the Jewish Sages can be cited, but the facts are obvious.

15. Dio Cassius, Roman History, Vol. Viii, Loeb (2000) Bk. 69, p. 447.

16. Will Durant, The Story of Civilization, Caesar and Christ, Volume 3 (New York, NY: Simon and Schuster, 1944), p. 548.

17. Encyclopedia Judaica, Vol. 2, “Akiva,” p. 489.

18. Durant, The Story of Civilization, Caesar and Christ, p. 548-549.

19. Akiva made a preliminary gathering and formulation of the material for the six orders (containing 63 chapters or tractates) of that religious code which was the heart of the Talmud. Near the end of the 2nd century, Judah ha Nasi completed the work. Moorman, Bible Chronology: The Two Great Divides, p. 14.

20. Encyclopedia Judaica, Vol. 16, “Yose ben Halafta.” p. 852.

21. Ibid. p. 853. Yose ben Halafta’s own influence may be seen in that some of his writings were included in Judah ha Nasi’s final editing of the Mishnah, and his name is mentioned in 59 of the 63 tractates. Though referred to in the Mishnah and Talmud, Halafta’s ‘Seder Olam’ is not a formal part of that work. Nevertheless, it is a work of Talmudic authority, and to openly contradict it would be unthinkable to orthodox Jews. as Rabbi Schwab stated: “…our traditional chronology is based on ‘Seder Olam‘ because of the authority of its author. it is therefore quite inconceivable that any post-Talmudic teacher could possible ‘reject’ those chronological calculations which have been the subject of many a Talmudic discussion.” (Schwab, Dr. Joseph Breuer Jubilee Volume, p. 186). Thus it is that the Seder Olam is held in such high esteem and is still used by the Jews for their national dating.

22. Encyclopedia Judaica, Vol. 4, “Bar Kokhba,” p. 230.

23. Ibid.

24. Ibid. p. 231.

25. Dio Cassius, Roman History, Vol. VIII, Bk. 69, p. 449-450; Durant, Caesar and Christ, p. 548.

26. Encyclopedia Judaica, Vol. 4, “Bar Kokhba,” p. 231.

27. Ibid., Vol. 11, “Messiah,” p. 1410.

28. Not only do Jews venerate Jose/Yose because the Seder Olam had its origin in his school, he is regarded with a near superstitious reverence. This may be seen in that it was said: “that he was worthy of having the prophet Elijah reveal himself to him regularly in order to teach him.” Encyclopedia Judaica, Vol. 16, “Yose ben Halafta,” p. 853.

29. Yet despite all that has been said concerning the Jews veneration for Jose, the Encyclopedia Judaica forthrightly admits: “The most significant confusion in Jose’s calculation is the compression of the Persian period, from the rebuilding of the Temple by Zerubbabel in 516 BC to the conquest of Persia by Alexander, to no more than 34 years.” (Encyclopedia Judaica, Vol. 14, “Seder Olam Rabbah,” p. 1092).

“The Annals of The World” by ‘Archbishop James Ussher’ Part #2 – 11/6/12 (Appendix G: Seder Olam Rabbah)

“The Annals of The World” by ‘Archbishop James Ussher’ Part #1

“Annals Of The World by James Ussher – Part #2”

Appendix G: “The Seder Olam Rabbah” (1) (Why Jewish Dating Is Different) or the “Book of the Order of The World,” was compiled by Rabbi Yose ben Halafta (who died 160 AD), and is to this day the traditional Jewish chronology. (2) From this ancient work, the Jewish people reckon the current year (2012 AD) as (5772) and understand it to be the number of the years since the creation .

At the time the Seder Olam was compiled, the Jews generally dated their years from 312 BC – the beginning of the Seleucid era. For the next few centuries, the Seder Olam was of interest exclusively to only students of the Talmud. (3)

When the center of Jewish life moved from Babylonia to Europe during the 8th and 9th centuries AD, calculations from the Seleucid era became meaningless. Over those centuries, it was replaced by that of the anno mundi era (AM = “from the creation of the world”) of the Seder Olam. From the 11th century, anno mundi dating became dominant throughout most of the world’s Jewish communities. (4)

As Old Testament Scripture is the basis for Seder Olam dating, we would suppose the Jewish chronology to be similar to that of Ussher’s and thus expect them to place the creation date around 6,000 years ago. Yet rather than 4004 BC, the Seder Olam places creation at 3761. The question thus becomes: On what basis do the Jews number their years such that a 243 year shortfall occurs?

The Missing Years:

1. From the creation to the birth of Abraham: Ussher has – 2008 years from, 4004-1996 BC;  Seder Olam has – 1948 years from, 3761-1811 BC (exclusive reckoning) a shortfall of 60 years. – Terah was 130 years old rather than 70 when Abraham was born. (Gen. 11:26 says, “Terah lived 70 years and begot Abram,” it doesn’t say he was 70 when he was born. Gen. 11:32 and 12:4 say, “Terah was 205 when he died in Haran and Abram was 75 when he departed from Haran with Lot.” So, 205 minus 75 equals 130. Thus the first deficit is about 60 years.

2. From the birth of Abraham to the Exodus from Egypt: Ussher has – 505 years from, 1996 – 1491 BC;  Seder Olam has – 500 years from, 1811 – 1311 BC, a shortfall of 5 years. – Abraham was 75 years old when the covenant was made in Gen. 12:4, the Exodus was 430 years later, Gal. 3:17, “The covenant that was confirmed before by God in Christ, the law, which was 430 years after cannot annul that it should make the promise of no effect.” Exodus 12:40-41 says, “Now the sojourning of the children of Israel, who dwelt in Egypt, was four hundred and thirty years. And it came to pass at the end of four hundred and thirty years, even the very same day it came to pass, that all the hosts of the LORD went out from the land of Egypt.” Without New Testament revelation for clarification, the Seder Olam reckons five fewer years. The shortfall now totals 65 years.

3. From the Exodus to the laying of the Temple foundation, I Kings 6:1, “And it came to pass in the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, which is the second month, that he began to build the house of the LORD.” Ussher has – 480 years from, 1491 – 1012 BC (inclusive reckoning);  Seder Olam has 480 years from, 1311 – 831 BC, a shortfall of 0 years. As there is no difference the total shortfall remains at 65 years.

4. From the foundation of the first Temple to the consecration of the second Temple: Ussher has – 497 years from, 1012 – 515 BC;  Seder Olam has 480 years from, 831 – 351 BC, a shortfall of 17 years. – Differing decisions in placing the dates of the kings of Israel with respect to the kings of Judah during the period of the divided monarchy account for these 17 years.  Thus far, the Seder Olam reckons 82 (65+17) fewer years difference over a 3,489 year span (4004-515) from creation to the consecration of the second Temple of which the major part concerns the age of Terah at Abraham’s birth.

5. From the consecration of the second Temple to its destruction by Titus of Rome: Ussher has – 584 years from, 515 BC – 70 AD;  Seder Olam has 420 years from, 351 BC – 70 AD, a shortfall of 164 years. – Here we see the main source of the discrepancy found in the Seder Olam’s shorter chronology. Its 420 years are divided into spans of 34, 180, 103, and 103 years of successive foreign rule over Israel. As shown in that which follows, it is remarkable that the 164 year span disparity is almost entirely from within the first or Persian period, which follow. The remaining three periods closely approximate that of the standard chronology. (6)

a) 34 years (351-317 BC) for the remainder of the Persian rule over Israel: from the dedication of the second temple to Ptolemy I Soter’s invasion of Jerusalem (Ptolemy I was one of Alexander the Great’s favorite generals; also called Soter or Saviour, 367?-283 BC. After Alexander’s death in 323, he seized Egypt as his share of the divided Greek empire and assumed the title, “King of Egypt.”).

b) 180 years (317-137 BC) for the Grecian rule: from Ptolemy’s invasion to the times when Simon the Maccabean became ruler in Israel and Rome recognized the independence of the Jewish state.

c) 103 years (137 – 34 BC) for the rule of the Hasmonean (Maccabean) family in Isarel: from Simon to the beginning of the reign of Herod the Great.

d) 103 years (34 BC – 70 AD) for the Herodian rule until the destruction of the temple.

There is some discrepancy with the standard dates in the later three periods  (b, c & d). The standard date for Alexander’s defeat of Darius is 331 BC rather than the Seder Olam’s 321. It gives Simon’s rule as beginning in 142 BC (not 137) and Herod’s in 37 BC (not 34). (7)

But what are we to understand from (a) where the Seder Olam only allows 34 years for the remainder of the Persian period? Indeed, by Seder Olam reckoning there are only 30 years from the dedication of the second temple to Darius’ defeat at the hands of Alexander in 321 BC and merely four years after that unto Jerusalem’s capture by Ptolemy following Alexander’s death. Moreover, here the two systems exhibit a striking contrast. The Ptolemaic chronology lists eight Persian kings from darius I Hystaspes to Darius III Codomannus, the king whom Alexander overcame. However, the Seder Olam identifies the Darius who was reigning during the dedication of the second temple as the same Darius that Alexander defeated. (8)

Recording only five Persian monarchs, Seder Olam gives the following chronology for its 52/53 year depiction of Persian history:

1. Darius the Mede reigns 1 year – 3389 – 3390 AM (374 – 373 BC) Babylon is conquered and Daniel is in the lions den.

2. Cyrus reigns 3 years – 3390 – 3392 AM (373 – 371 BC, inclusive) The Jews return and the second temple construction begins.

3. Artaxerxes (Cambyses) reigns one-half of a year – 3393 AM (370 BC) Temple construction halted.

4. Ahasuerus reigns 14 years – 3393 – 3407 AM (370 – 356 BC) Esther is chosen queen and Esther bears Darius the Persian.

5. Darius the Persian reigns 35 years – 3407 – 3442 AM (356 – 321 BC) Temple construction resumes, 3408 AM (355 BC); Second Temple dedicated 3412 AM (355 BC); Ezra comes to Jerusalem 3413 AM (350 BC); Nehemiah comes to Jerusalem 3426 AM (337 BC); Darius defeated by Alexander 3442 AM (321 BC).

Thus the Seder Olam depicts the Kingdom of Persia as lasting a mere 53 years from 374 to 321 BC, rather than about 207 years from 538 to 331 BC. Join us next time as we see the ramifications of this problem and how they impact prophecy and especially Daniel chapter nine. This article is mostly copied from Archbishop James Ussher’s book, “The Annals of the World,” Appendix G: the Seder Olam Rabbah – Why Jewish dating Is Different.” We strongly advise you to purchase a copy of his book and read it. Though it is rather massive and a bit expensive it is really worth having in your library for future reference. That’s why we are posting his appendix, because we feel it is so important to our blog on Dan. 9:24-27 which is the only ‘Old Testament’ prophecy which sets the time of the Messiah’s first coming.  So, until the next time we meet, we’ll see you, “…Between The Lines…”

“The Annals of The World” by ‘Archbishop James Ussher’  10/29/12 Part #1

“Daniel’s Seventy Weeks of Years” Dan. 9:24-27 – Part #4

An examination of just one piece of evidence from the New testament should solidify forever the validity and accuracy of Daniel’s prophecy. In Luke 3:1 it is explicit and undeniable that Yeshua/Jesus’ ministry began in the 15th year of Tiberius Ceasar shortly before Passover, between August 29 CE and April 30 CE, that’s history! The Passover when Yeshua/Jesus was executed was 33 CE. Now according to John 12:1 Jesus went up to Bethany six days before Passover, which had to be a Sunday because Jewish people can’t travel from Jerusalem to Bethany on a Sabbath, v.9. So, He spent Sunday, the 9th of Nisan at Mary and Martha’s home at a supper prepared for Him with Lazarus and their guests. The next day being Monday the 10th of Nisan, He rode into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey’s colt (Zech. 9:9) while the people waved palm branches and shouted, Psalm 118:26, “Hosanna, Blessed is He that comes in the name of the LORD,” and four days later the same crowd cried, “Crucify Him!” Crowds are so fickle, aren’t they?

What was the length of time from the decree to rebuild and restore Jerusalem, its streets and its walls unto the coming of, “Prince Messiah?” According to Sir Robert Anderson in his book, “The Coming Prince;” the decree of Artaxerxes was given on March 14th in 445 BCE and ‘Messiah the Prince’ rode into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey’s colt, on Sunday April 2nd 32 CE, exactly 173,880 days from the decree. Even though I appreciate Sir Robert Anderson’s work, he has a few problems; The Jewish Passover must be celebrated on the 14th of Nisan and it must be a full moon, April 6th was neither. Also Anderson believes Jesus celebrated his meal on Thursday and not Friday to solve the Gregorian calendar conflict and it was not a Passover meal (trying to get 72 hours in the tomb I suppose but in Jewish culture any part of a day or night was considered a day and a night, Alfred Edersheim, let’s save that for another blog).  According to Dr. Harold Hoehner, in his book, “The Chronological Aspects of The Life of Christ;” the decree of Artaxerxes was given on March 4th 444 BCE and Jesus rode into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey’s colt, on Monday March 30th 33 CE exactly 173,880 days from the decree. However, Hoehner’s date for this meal is on the 14th of Nisan, it is a full moon, it is on a Friday and it is a Passover celebration with a lamb and it fits perfectly into Jewish culture, customs, chronology and time sequence. Or, as another Bible scholar put it, Daniel is prophesying in years not days. So, 483 years minus 444/445 brings you to 37/38 CE, minus the 5 year calendar problem which leaves you a date of 32/33 CE for “Prince Messiah’s” declaration and death, 37/38 years before the destruction of the Temple, the exact amount of time He lived on the earth. (Just trying to make it simple for you. 🙂

Now here is our evidence to solidify our prophecy in Luke 19:41-42 as Yeshua/Jesus is riding into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey’s colt, weeping, during His ‘Triumphal Entry” He says to the people waving palm branches and shouting, “If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in/on (Greek ev – in, on, upon) this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace!” He then goes on to tell them that they are going to be destroyed and that not even one stone will be left upon another in v. 43-44, because they knew not the time of their visitation. Four days after his ‘Triumphal Entry’ he was to be cut-off (karath) to die a horrible, violent, distasteful death and not for Himself, by crucifixion, Isaiah 52:13-53:12. Then 37.5 years later the same amount of time He spent on earth, the Temple and city of Jerusalem were destroyed like a flood by Titus the prince and his people, the son of Vespasian, Rome’s new Emperor, who took office 12/21/69 when Nero was murdered, making his son a prince, fulfilling Dan. 9:26 to the letter. (What a coincidence!) This prince of the people Titus, took over the Roman army and laid a siege to Jerusalem and a horrible battle began. Historians tell us the blood of the victims is what put out the fires in the city. On Tisha B’Av, the Ninth of Av, on a Sunday morning when the first course or order of the priestly service was taking charge, the order of Jehoiarib, I Chron. 24:7 (Very important as you calculate Christ’s birth, another blog 🙂 They set fire to the Temple and burned it to the ground on the exact same day that Nebuchadnezzar burned it to the ground in 586 BCE (Coincidence or Providence?) The first was for disobedience, it lasted 7o years what was the second for, and it’s been 2,000 years? The fire melted all the gold, which ran down into the cracks of the stones, so the soldiers had to take iron bars and rip up all the stones to get all the gold out of the cracks, thus fulfilling Christ’s words, “Not one stone would be left upon another.” Luke 19:44.

I have a few questions for my skeptics: First; If Yeshua/Jesus was not Israel’s “Prince Messiah” then who else rode into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey’s colt, 173,880 days after Artaxerxes’ edict to rebuild the walls and streets of Jerusalem while the people cried out, “Hosanna, Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD?” Second; If Yeshua/Jesus was not Israel’s, “Prince Messiah” who was cut-off (karath) on Passover, and died a horrible death that you could date things by, then who was? Third; If Yeshua/Jesus was not Israel’s “Prince Messiah’ who fulfilled, Ps. 16 & 22; Isa. 53; Zech. 9 & 12, and 300 other prophecies, then who was? Fourth; If Yeshua/Jesus was not Israel’s “Mashiach Nagid” who came promptly in “the fulness of time,” Gal. 4:4-5; Who proved His office by many wonderful works, John 10:37-38; Who presented His credentials by His genealogical records, Matt. 1:1-17; Luke 3:23-38. Then who is He and why doesn’t history record His story? We know one thing for sure from Dan. 9:24-27, that Israel’s Messiah would come and be cut-off (karath) die a horrible death before the destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem in 70 CE, of that we are certain!

So, we are left with two haunting questions or documented historical facts that demand an answer and I don’t care how you slice it, dice it, dissect it, bisect it, or trisect, you need an answer to these; One: The empty tomb! (Every person with an open mind who examines the resurrection becomes a believer, every person); Two: The barren mount (No Temple since 70 AD, its been 2,000 years and they have been a nation for 64 years, and have had Jerusalem for 45 years and every year it gets harder and harder). The Scriptures seem clear that “The Time of Jacob’s Trouble,” Jer. 30:7, also known as the “Tribulation,” Rev. 7:14, will begin with the signing of a covenant to permit the renewal of Jewish sacrifice on the Temple Mount, Dan. 9:27, “And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week (of years); and in the midst of the week (of years) he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate;” It will be a time of unparallelled trouble and judgement and is described in Rev. 6-19 and will involve the whole earth, Rev. 3:10. In the middle of the tribulation the Beast will break his covenant with the Jewish people and show himself in their Temple demanding that he be worshiped as God, Matt. 24:15; II Thess. 2:4; showing that Temple worship has been re-established at that time and I don’t think it will be established until that time, the ‘Time of Jacob’s Trouble’ that is.

You need to read, “The Annals of the World” by James Ussher, ‘Appendix G:’ ‘The Seder Olam Rabbah – Why Jewish Dating Is Different.’ It is 2012 on our calendar about to be 2013 plus 4004 BCE which equals 6016 since creation. Their calendar says 5773, a difference of 243 years, why? Rabbi Yose ben Halafta set up their calendar and was a student of Rabbi Akiva who believed Simon bar Kokhba was the Messiah in 135 CE. You can also read the Encyclopedia Judaica, vol. 14, 1972 ed, pg. 1092 quote, “The most significant confusion in Yose’s calculation is the compression of the Persian period, from the rebuilding of the Temple by Zerubbabel in 516 BCE to the conquest of Persia by Alexander, to no more than 34 years. Like other rabbinic scholars, he believed that Zerubbabel, (sixth century BCE) Malachi, Ezra, Nehemiah, (all fifth century BCE) and Simeon the Just (third century) were all contemporaries.” Rabbi Simon Schwab said, “Nothing but Divine Command could have prompted those ‘saintly men of truth’ to leave out completely from our annals a period of 165 years…” NO! The reason for this shortening by Rabbi Akiva was to point to Simon bar Kokhba in 135 CE as the Messiah and not to Yeshua/Jesus in 33 CE and to deliberately dislodge the Dan. 9:24-27 prophecy. Please, read James Ussher’s, ‘Appendix G:’ and the article in the Encyclopedia Judaica for yourself and draw your own conclusion, I have! Question: If, Dan. 9:24-27 wasn’t so predictive, precise, exact, and accurate, then why would the nation of Israel go to all that trouble to falsify historical records and documents to bury 165 years of history. So that one of their own prophecies could be dislodged or hidden like a dangling participle with no place to fit because it points to only one person, to only one time, to only one place and they will ultimately have to deal with Him, face to face. So, they claim, “Their saintly men of truth by ‘Divine Command’ left out of their annals of history 165 years of historical documents on purpose and kept it a secret,” and they admit that openly in their encyclopedia, amazing! Yet the fact remains that this is a dishonest attempt to conceal the truth with regards to the Dan. 9:24-27 prophecy.

If Yeshua/Jesus fits every prophecy to the literal day and is Israel’s, “Prince Messiah” who was cut-off (karath) and not for Himself, what are we going to do about it? Daniel read this prophecy in Jer. 25 near the end of the Babylonian captivity, “And set his face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting and sackcloth and ashes…” You need to find a quiet place to read, Dan. 9:3-19 on your knees, in a prayerful attitude, for your nation, your church, and yourself, your family before it’s too late! Prophetic study should lead us to a deeper spiritual life, and to a state of holiness for God, but does it? Has it? Will it? Can It?

Sir Robert Anderson said this in his book, “Much there is in Holy Writ which unbelief may value or revere, while utterly refusing to accept it as Divine; but prophecy admits of no half-faith. The prediction of the seventy weeks was either a gross and impious imposture or else it was in the fullest and strictest sense, ‘God-Breathed.‘ To believe the facts and figures here detailed, amount to nothing more than happy coincidences, involves a greater exercise of faith than that of the Christian who accepts the book of Daniel as Divine. There is a point beyond which unbelief is impossible, and the mind in refusing truth must needs take refuge in misbelief which is sheer credulity.” You can’t deny the historical and Biblical facts that have been laid out before you. You can’t just brush them off or paint over them, you have to accept them as Anderson said as, ‘God-Breathed’ and ‘Divine Inspiration’ or else a gross, impious, imposture, or a lie from the very pit of Hell and the devil himself!

Listen, you must choose, you must decide and your decision must not be an idle intellectual exercise and no decision is in fact a decision! This prophecy demands your attention and like the empty tomb, every man or woman who has investigated it with an open mind and a flash-light has come to believe Yeshua/Jesus is “Mashiach Nagid” who arose from the grave on the third day and ascended into heaven. There are 332 other precise, predictive prophecies fulfilled in Yeshua/Jesus, this is only one, but its mathematical accuracy is irrefutable, incontrovertible, indisputable and awaits your decision and remember, “No decision is a decision!”  173,880 days from the going forth of the command to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem by Artaxerxes to Nehemiah on March 4, 444 BCE.  Go ahead, take your best shot at it, I did and I’m convinced! “…Between The Lines…”

“Daniel’s Seventy Weeks of Years”  Dan. 9:24-27 – Part #4  10/9/12