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The Millennium Chronology
In the book I argue that a pattern exists in biblical chronology. Every event the New Testament writers identified as promised by God under the Old Testament covenants adheres to a scheme. A proper construction of the chronology reveals such events occur a perfect millennial-multiple (i.e., 1000-year multiple) from either an identifiable creation date or from some other prior Old Testament event "related" to the promised event.
In the book I argue that the New Testament (NT) writers believed the world could only end at the close of a millennium
dated from the creation of Adam. Of course, with this view generations of Christians would live and die
believing the world could never end in their lifetimes. Is this really what NT writers believed?
Let’s reconsider this idea. Another possible
theory concerns the concept that in the Bible a day is equated with a year for certain prophetic purposes. An example is found
in Ezekiel 4:5-6 where Ezekiel lies on his side for 390 days. God had appointed “each day for a year.”
If a day sometimes is equated with a year then it is possible to compress a timeline of a thousand years to a much
shorter time frame. The present millennium will end on the last day of the Jewish month Elul in the year 2149. The last day
of Elul is essentially New Year’s Eve in the Jewish calendar. If the present millennium ends on the last day of Elul
in the year 2149, then the “millennium” also could end on New Year’s Day (Tishri 1) in 2148.
In that case New Year’s Day in 2148 is equated with a year for prophetic purposes. In short, the world could
also end on Tishri 1, 2148. By the same token, in 2147 both New Year’s Day (Tishri 1) and the following day (Tishri
2) are designated as “years.” So, the world could end on Tishri 2, 2147. In 2146, the world could end on Tishri
3 (three days are designated as years for prophetic purposes), etc.
Using this scenario the world could end on the 139th day of the Jewish
year that begins on Tishri 1, 2010. All 139 days are designated as years for prophetic purposes. But it
could also end on the 138th day of the year that begins on Tishri 1, 2011, etc. Tishri 1 coincides
with a new moon since November 7, 2006, the date of the O'Hare Airport UFO, must have been the 47th day of that
year. We can determine the potential “end-of-the-world” dates in the Gregorian calendar using new moon
tables:
February 22, 2011
February 11, 2012
January 29, 2013
February 16, 2014
February 5, 2015
January 24, 2016
These dates are based on a Hebrew calendar in which Nisan 1 must arrive on or after the
vernal equinox and Tishri 1 coincides with a new moon. Will some catastrophic event occur on one of these dates?
This generation shall not pass…
The early church believed a millennium dated from the creation
of Adam would end in AD 149. A much debated passage is found in the Olivet discourse:
Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.
Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels
of heaven, but my father only. But as the days of Noe (Noah) were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. (Matthew
24:34-37)
When Jesus spoke these words it was three days prior to his crucifixion in AD 30. The debate has focused on the meaning to the term “this generation.” Some have argued that this term meant a period of about forty years. Others have argued that the phrase references some future generation. Both positions are wrong. The term clearly is used to describe the generation existing at that time. But it denotes a period of time (see Genesis 15:13-16, Ephesians 3:5, 21 where it denotes a period of time). If Jesus had been referencing a future generation that would witness all of these events he would have stated it this way:
Some generation shall see all these things be fulfilled.
But this is not what he said. Instead "this
generation" denotes a presumed time span during which everyone alive at the time will have died. The passage suggests
a direct connection between Jesus’ discussion of “this generation” and the days of Noah. What is the connection
between the days of Noah and the term “this generation?”
In Genesis 7:1 the Lord commanded Noah to enter the ark:
And the Lord said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark: for thee have I seen
righteous in this generation.
The
use of the term “this generation” in this passage implies a period of time. How long was a generation in the days
of Noah? According to Genesis 6:3, God warned men 120 years prior to the flood (“his days shall be an hundred and
twenty years”). That generation suggested a period of 120 years. Using accession dating (counting
the number of New Year’s Days that elapse in the sequence—the same counting system employed in Genesis) precisely
120 years elapsed from Tishri 1, AD 30 to Tishri 1, AD
149, inclusive. Therefore the "generation" Jesus was referencing would expire in AD
149—120 years after he spoke those words and the precise time when Jesus might return.
The statement "this generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled" meant that all the signs leading up to the end of the world would be fulfilled in the 120-year period. Later Jesus stated that he didn't know the day or hour when heaven and earth would pass away. The world would end at the expiration of some unknown millennium dated from the creation of Adam. The millennium could be a combination of actual years and days that prophetically equal years.
Two cryptic passages
For then shall be
great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those
days should be shortened, there should be no flesh saved: but for the elect’s sake those days
shall be shortened. (Matthew 24:20-22)
For in those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created unto
this time, neither shall be. And except that the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved:
but for the elect’s sake, whom he hath chosen, he hath shortened the days. (Mark 13:19-20)
These two cryptic passages appear in the Olivet discourse and concern Jesus’
prediction about the future. These statements also confirm some aspect of the chronological pattern. What did Jesus mean when
he stated that God had “shortened” the days? Most claim that the days which are in boldface refer to the days
of the future tribulation or affliction.
However, this view is incorrect for a simple reason. The term "saved" found in both passages ("no flesh should be saved") was likely referencing the salvation of mankind through the crucifixion. Only moments earlier Jesus spoke of salvation using the same Greek term:
But he that shall endure to the end, the same shall be saved. (Matthew 24:13, Mark 13:13)
Clearly
in this context he was discussing salvation.
The
clause concerning the “shortened” days is not discussing the days of the tribulation. Rather, the appearance of
the term “days” in boldface is a reference to the principle enunciated in Psalm 90:4 and 2 Peter 3:8 (a day
in God’s sight is equal to a thousand years). The primary reason is because the passages suggest these are days as God
views them. Moreover, the “days” are counted from “the beginning of the creation.” In other words,
the passage could be paraphrased as follows:
“And
except that the Lord has shortened the days, from the time of creation until now, no flesh should be saved. But for the elect’s
sake, he has shortened those days.”
The passages
are discussing days of creation, plus the millennia of human history from Adam, until the time when Jesus spoke
these words (“unto this time”— i.e., the present time). Jesus spoke these words only two days before the
crucifixion. The time from the creation of Adam until that particular time is computed to be 4,000 simple lunar years
as I explain in The Millennium Chronology. Lunar years are shorter than solar years. This explains the term "shortened."
Therefore 4,000 lunar years is a shortened "day" in God's sight. Jesus was probably also counting the days of
creation before Adam in his reference to "those days."
I believe Jesus was providing a subtle hint in the statement, “and except that the Lord had shortened those days,
no flesh should be saved.” When Jesus spoke of no flesh being saved he was referencing the salvation of humanity
through his crucifixion. In other words, it was only because the crucifixion happened at the close of a millennium from
the creation date that salvation was obtained at that time. The next statement in Matthew’s Gospel, “but for the
elect’s sake those days shall be shortened,” simply means that at the time of the crucifixion the elect would
obtain salvation. The "elect" included his disciples.
Second Peter 3:10 indicates that Christ will return
again when the world ends. Revelation 20 clearly suggests that Christ could return
at the end of a millennium and his return will coincide with the end of the world. The millennium in Revelation
20 is dated from the creation of Adam in 3852 BC.
Revelation 20 was written from the perspective that the world could end at the conclusion of any millennium subsequent to AD 149. Revelation 20 did not envision the world ending in AD 149 since Christians would not have been witnessing for 1,000 years at that time. Revelation 11 was written from the perspective that the world might end in AD 149 since no millennium is described in that chapter. Both chapters describe the final judgment (Revelation 11:18, 20:13).
Several passages indicate that when Christ returns He will judge both
the living and the dead. John 5:28-29 and Matthew 25:31-36 clearly suggest He will judge the believers and the non-believers
at the same time upon His return.
Any Millennium
How do we know that Jesus believed He could return at the end of any millennium dated from the creation
of Adam? In Old Testament times the night was divided into three watches. In the Old Testament
an entire 24-hour day was comprised of the three watches and the 12 hours of daylight.
Of course, this cycle repeats itself every 24 hours. Judges 7:19 speaks of a “middle watch” which in this case would be the middle watch of the night. First Samuel 11:11 speaks of a “morning watch” presumably referencing the third watch of the night.
The relevant text is Psalm 90:4:
For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night. (Psalm 90:4)
The text states that each watch in the night is a thousand years and so is the day. A 24-hour day in God’s sight equals 4,000 years— three 1,000-year watches, and a 12-hour day that also equals 1,000 years.
In reference to the Second Coming, Jesus clearly taught that this event might occur in any watch of the night or even during the day. In short, it could occur in any millennium. The Gospels concur on this point. Luke 12:36-45 states:
And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding: that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately…And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and finds them so, blessed are those servants….But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken: The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him…
In this passage, the phrase “when he will return from the wedding,” presumably references the first watch of the night. Then Jesus states that the servants should also watch for Him during the second and third watches. Finally, He states that in addition to the three watches (i. e., 3,000 years) Jesus might return during the day. This is the 12-hour day also equated with 1,000 years. This completes the entire 24-hour cycle.
Clearly, by understanding that Jesus was discussing the repetitive cycle of the three watches of the night followed by the day, we know that the world could end at the expiration of any millennium dated from the creation of Adam.