| 
Sacred
calendars provide precise dates for King David, his son Solomon,
and the dedication of Solomon's temple, completing the chain of
interlocking dates from Adam to Jesus, the son of David.
 |
Michelangelo's
David. |
King David ranks
with the great patriarchs of the Old Testament in many ways. At the
time of Christ, a synonym for "Messiah" was "Son of David" (Mat. 12:23,
15:22, 20:30, 21:9) because the promised Messiah was to be a descendant
of David. Matthew begins his Gospel with a detailed genealogy to prove
that Jesus Christ fulfilled that requirement. Although not officially
classed as a prophet, David composed most of the book of Psalms, which
contains some of the most inspired revelations about Jesus Christ
found anywhere in scripture. David is clearly a key figure in the
Old Testament.
Matthew also
provides what appears to be a grand key in his genealogy of Jesus
Christ. He points out an important pattern which he knew would be
meaningful to the Jewish audience he was trying to convert. He noted
that there were 14 generations from Abraham to David, 14 more until
the Babylonian captivity, and then 14 more to Christ (Mat. 1:17).
Thus, he was indicating that God has a plan, and that Christ was
not only in the right family line, but that he filled the precise
slot reserved for the Messiah. But perhaps Matthew also provided
for us a great clue as to how we might find the last link to complete
the chain of dates from Adam to Christ.
The first four
articles in this series have shown how sacred calendars can be used
to derive precise dates for key religious events during the lives
of Adam, Noah, Abraham and Moses, respectively.[1]
In former articles, precise dates were derived for the Savior's
birth and ministry, and the day that King Jeconiah was taken captive
to Babylon.[2]
Comparing this list of results to Matthew's chain, we see that David
is the missing link. That is, we have dates for Abraham, Jeconiah,
and Christ, so if we can determine the dates of King David's birth
and reign, we will have completed a list of anchor dates that span
the entire Old Testament.
Let us begin
the derivation of some important dates in the life of King David
with his son, King Solomon.
Solomon's
Temple
Temples are links
between heaven and earth, and often the dates of important events
associated with temples are clearly indicated on the Lord's sacred
calendars. We saw in last month's article on the Exodus that the date
of the raising of the tabernacle was an important sacred day, and
that was only a portable tent version of the magnificent temple which
would be erected centuries later during the reign of King Solomon.
That edifice was Israel's first temple, and it was accepted by the
Lord with fire from heaven consuming the offerings at its dedication
(2 Chr. 7:1). Thus, we might expect some dates associated with the
temple to be prominent on the Lord's sacred calendars.
480th Year
of the Exodus
The Old Testament provides
one very precise link from the Exodus to the time of King David and
his son Solomon. It gives the very day on which the temple began to
be built: the second day of the second month of the fourth year of
Solomon's reign, which was the 480th year from the Exodus (1 Kings
6:1, 2 Chr. 3:2). That is the kind of detail that chronologists dream
about. There is only one such clue to tie David and Solomon back to
the Exodus, but only one clue is needed if it is indeed correct.
The approximate
time of David is known to be about 1000 BC, as determined by counting
back the lengths of reigns of the kings from the known time of the
deportation of King Jeconiah on Sat 10 Mar 597 BC.[3]
Traditional chronologies indeed date the Exodus by counting back
479 years from Solomon's supposed fourth year. For example, the
edition of the Bible used by the L.D.S. Church before its new version
was published listed the Exodus in 1491 BC, and Solomon beginning
to build the temple in 1012 BC. But many modern scholars have totally
rejected the 480 years as symbolic or erroneous, and they date the
Exodus to about 1260 BC.[4]
|
Construction
of Solomon's Temple. |
Is the Bible right
or not about the date of King Solomon's temple? Now that we have the
new tool of the sacred calendars, we can check on at least some religious
events to see if they fit into the Lord's established pattern. And
we have a precise date to check: the date indicated for beginning
Solomon's temple most likely corresponds to Tue 14 Apr 983 BC (2 Iyar,
479 years after Exodus).
Looking
at that date on the seven sacred calendars published so far, we find
that it was not a special day on any of the calendars. But that is
not surprising even if it is correct for we have no precedent to believe
that the date on which a temple was begun should be a red-letter day
on God's calendars. In the only other case of a temple-like structure
we have considered so far, the portable tabernacle of Moses, it was
the day on which it was first set up for use that the Lord's cloud
settled on it. That would probably correspond to the dedication of
Solomon's temple. The events which have been found significant so
far are dates of the births and deaths of the great patriarchs and
prophets, the dates of priesthood ordinances, and the dates of visits
of angels and of the Lord himself.
The month of
completion of the temple is also given, being the eighth month of
Solomon's eleventh year (1 Kings 6:38), which would be Oct-Nov,
976 BC. Searching that entire month also yields nothing impressive
on those calendars. Before passing judgment on the correctness of
the Biblical date, let us look at other related implied dates to
see if any witnesses can be found to testify of the correctness
of this date. In fact, we have come to learn that if an event does
indeed occur on a significant calendar date, even then the Lord
does not leave us wondering if it was just a chance coincidence.
In every case published so far in this series, there have been many
mutually consistent witnesses formed by a network of interlocking
significant dates of related events. Thus, based on previous discoveries,
let us consider some of the more significant religious events of
that time.
Temple Dedication
There was no doubt
that the Lord accepted Solomon's temple because fire came down from
heaven and consumed the offerings. That seems like a much more promising
date to be significant.
When was the temple dedicated? The Bible doesn't give the exact year
in Solomon's reign, but it gives enough clues to narrow it down to
a few possible years. Let us review the order of events because it
appears that an important misunderstanding has occurred in many published
chronologies.
|
Solomon's
Temple Dedication. |
Here are the
relevant events in the order presented in the Bible:
- Solomon began
building the temple in the fourth year of his reign (1 Kings 6:1,
2 Chr. 3:2).
- He finished
the temple seven years later in his eleventh year (1 Kings 6:38).
- Solomon was
building his own house for thirteen years (1 Kings 7:1).
- Solomon continued
making furnishings for the temple until finally all was ready
(1 Kings 7:15 51, 2 Chr. 5:1).
- The temple
was dedicated at the feast of Tabernacles (1 Kings 8:2, 2 Chr.
5:3).
To me there
is a natural interpretation of the sequence of those events: Solomon
finished the temple building in his eleventh year, his own home
in his thirteenth year (which he presumably began at his coronation),
the temple furnishings were finished shortly thereafter and the
temple dedicated. Thus I would begin to look for the temple dedication
beginning about the fourteenth year of his reign.
The reason for
presenting this detail is there is one (repeated) verse which has
led to another interpretation. An event is mentioned which occurred
"at the end of twenty years, when Solomon had built the two houses"
(1 Kings 9:10-11, 2 Chr. 8:1). Because twenty happens to equal seven
plus thirteen, it has been assumed that Solomon first built and
completed the house of the Lord, then got the idea to build himself
a home on which he spent thirteen more years, during which he finished
the furnishings for the temple.[5]
That would mean that the temple wasn't dedicated until thirteen
years after it was completed which seems unlikely.
In any case,
using our new tool of sacred calendars, we can see if either of
these interpretations leads to the feast of Tabernacles being aligned
with holy days on other sacred calendars. One very plausible candidate
presents itself: Sat 19 Sep 972 BC. That day was the Feast of Tabernacles,
the Autumn Equinox (Enoch), 1 Lord (Mercury), and 1 Water (SR).
Being a holy day on four sacred calendars is a good start, now let's
look for related dates.
Dedication
Finale
Tabernacles
is usually a one week feast, with a solemn assembly on the eighth
day (Lev. 23:34-36), but we are told that Solomon held the feast
for two weeks that year (1 Kings 8:65, 2 Chr. 8:9). Why this change?
Looking at the calendar shows that two weeks after Tabernacles was
another very special sacred day on the other calendars: Fri 2 Oct
972 BC pm* was the Feast of Tabernacles on the Enoch calendar, 1
Creation (Mer), and 1 Wind (SR). Thus, if these dates are correct,
then by extending the feast, he celebrated the Feast on both the
Hebrew and also the Enoch calendar. This result suggests that Solomon
was not usurping his authority as king to change the sacred calendars,
but instead was applying his famous wisdom to follow them.
Priest Cycle
Begins
There is another
important detail which is not mentioned in the narrative at all, but
which is crucial to any date which is proposed. The 24 courses of
priests who would take turns officiating weekly in the temple would
then begin to serve. We have seen that this rotation of service constitutes
a calendar, and the correlation of that calendar to ours is known.[6].
Thus, we would expect that the day on which the first family began
to serve (Jehoiarib) would be a significant date, for it would begin
a cycle that would hopefully continue unbroken until the destruction
of the temple centuries later. At the raising of the Tabernacle of
Moses, the priests began to serve a week prior to the event. Aligning
with the priest cycle really narrows down the choice because the week
of Jehoiarib only occurs once every 24 weeks, only near Tabernacles
every few years, and the cycle always begins on a Saturday. An excellent
date presents itself for the priests to have begun: Sat 5 Sep 972
BC, two weeks before the dedication, was Trumpets (Hebrew), Passover
(Enoch Fixed), 0 Res (Mer), 13 Eagle (SR), and most importantly, 1
Jehoiarib (Priest), the first day of the 168-day cycle.
Thus,
these three dates present a strong trilogy of testimonies that 972
BC was indeed the year of the dedication of the temple, after Solomon
had reigned fourteen years, and that the temple might well have
really been begun in the 480th year of the Exodus as claimed by
the Bible.
King
David
There are clues
that important events in the life of King David might have been scheduled
according to the Venus cycle. First, he is tied to Christ who was
the "Bright and Morning Star," symbolized by Venus. Secondly, he reigned
for 40 years, and we have seen that 40 years is a Venus/Mercury realignment
cycle. Moreover, parents are often linked calendrically to their children
and his son Solomon also reigned for 40 years.
David's 40-Year
Reign
The Bible states
that David reigned for forty years (1 Kings 2:11, 1 Chr. 29:27). We
have seen that forty years may or may not refer to a Venus/Mercury
realignment cycle of 14,599 days. The big clue that the 40-year cycle
is implied is on the rare occasions when both the beginning a end
of the cycle both occur on Hebrew holy days. Is there any such pair
ending at the time of David's death?
If
the temple was begun in 983 BC in Solomon's fourth year of reign
(1 Kings 6:1), then his first year most likely began in 986 BC.[7]
Checking alignments for that year yields a very promising candidate
for David's death: Mon 12 Jun 986 BC pm* which as 1 Tammuz (Hebrew,
Summer Equinox) and also the 1 Creation (V) and 1 Lord (M).
Before proposing
that day as David's death date, we need to check the day 14,599
days earlier which began the 40-year cycle. If it also falls on
a Hebrew holy day, then there is sufficient reason to propose that
David's reign really was tied to a 40-year Venus cycle. Sure enough,
that day turns out to be Thu 22 Jun 1026 BC which was the sacred
fast day 17 Tammuz on the Hebrew calendar, as well as being the
expected 1 Cre (V) and 1 Lord (M).
Thus, let us
accept as a working hypothesis that David began to reign over Judah
on Thu 22 Jun 1026 BC and that he died on Mon 12 Jun 986 BC pm*,
having had a reign of one 40-year Venus/Mercury realignment cycle.
Let us now investigate whether any supporting evidence can be found.
David's Birth:
July 4th
David was about thirty
when he began to reign (2 Samuel 5:4), so we can look for a birth
date, which according to the pattern of other proposed birth dates
in this series should occur both on a Hebrew holy day, at least some
other sacred calendars, and also on a date similar on some calendars
to his death date. Those requirements are so stringent to occur in
a given year that if we find such a date, it is highly likely to be
correct. Moreover, in nearly every case so far, the birth date is
more impressive than the death date, and David's proposed death date
is a sacred day on 4 calendars (also being 1 Condor on the Sacred
Round).
Searching for
a possible birth date for David produces an ideal candidate, a holy
day on 6 of the 7 known sacred calendars. The day Sat 4 Jul 1057
BC was 17 Tammuz (H), 14 Sum (Enoch, Summer Fast), 1 Res (V), 1
Bir (M), 1 Deer (SR), and 1 Jac (Easter on Priest). That Hebrew
day is known simply as the Fast of the Fourth Month, which the Lord
says will become a day of rejoicing some day (Zech. 8:19). That
date ranks with the best birth dates found so far for the prophets.
It is identical on the Venus and Mercury calendars to Isaac's birthday.
This date fits the pattern so well of all the great prophets, as
it should to be in Matthew's chain of key links to Christ, that
it confirms this whole set of dates as being correct, including
the Biblical assertion that the temple was built in the 480th year
of the Exodus.
Birth of the
United States
The United States of America
was also born on July 4th, the date proposed for David's birth. Is
that of any significance? If so, there will also be at least another
witness, according to what has been discovered so far in the research.
It turns out that Thu 4 Jul 1776 was also 17 Tammuz on the Hebrew
calendar as was David's birth, so it may not be by chance that the
nation which consistently sides with modern-day Israel was born on
David's birthday.
So are all the
fireworks on the Fourth of July the fulfillment of the prophecy
that 17 Tammuz will become a day of "joy and gladness"? Probably
not, partly because it is to be a day of rejoicing for the Jews
and partly because it is not celebrated annually on 17 Tammuz. But
that prophecy may have begun to be fulfilled at the Nauvoo Temple
dedication on 17 Tammuz.[8]
Solomon's Birth
If Solomon's
birth date could be found, it might also testify of the correctness
of these proposed dates because we have seen that there is usually
a calendrical link between parents and their children. When was
Solomon born? How old was he when he inherited the throne upon the
death of David? The Bible does not say, and checking other sources
yields many confused opinions. One standard Jewish interpretation
is that he was crowned at age twelve, but that cannot be because
his son Rehoboam was born before David's death (1 Kings 15:10).
The historian Josephus put his age at death at 94 (Antiquities
VIII.vii.8), which makes no sense because he was born to Bathsheba
during David's reign. So is there any hope of finding Solomon's
birth date? From the events of David's reign, he was most likely
in his early twenties.
Fortunately
one scholar lists Solomon's age as being 23 when he began to reign.[9]
I don't know his source, but now we have a way to check his result.
In fact, a date can be found which is so perfect that I feel confident
enough to publish it: Tue 26 Jun 1009 BC was 1 Tam (H), 1 Res (V),
1 Pri (M) and 1 Monkey (SR). That is not only a sacred day on four
calendars, it is the same day as his father David's birth on the
Venus calendar, and the same day as David's death on the Hebrew
calendar. This double link to David is rare enough to occur in the
very year indicated as to verify the correctness of that date.
Ezekiel's
Witness
There is one last link
to this time period which needs to be investigated. Hundreds of years
after David, and even after Nebuchadnezzar had deported all but the
poor of the Kingdom of Judah, the Lord had his prophet Ezekiel suffer
a long ordeal to symbolize both Israel and Judah. Ezekiel was among
the captives in Babylon before the final destruction of Jerusalem.
430-day Ordeal
 |
The
Brazen Sea. |
The Lord commanded
Ezekiel to give captive Judah a very strange symbolic demonstration.
First, he set up a model battering ram to show how King Nebuchadnezzar
of Babylon would lay siege to Jerusalem (Ezek 4:1-3). Then the Lord
told him to lay on his left side for 390 days to represent Israel,
and then to turn over and lay on his right side for 40 days to represent
Judah, with each day symbolizing a year (Ezek. 4:4-6). To show he
was serious, the Lord commanded him to be bound in those positions
so that he wouldn't accidentally turn over prematurely (Ezek. 4:8).
And if that wasn't ordeal enough, the Lord also had him mix cow
dung in with a recipe for bread, and kept him on a strict ration
of that bread and water, again to symbolize what Judah would experience
(Ezek. 4:9-17). At the end of the ordeal he was to shave his year's
growth and divide it into three parts to show the fate of those
remaining. He was to burn one third, destroy one third with his
knife, and scatter one third to the wind. A very few shaven hairs
were to be bound into captivity, but the point was that this time
Nebuchadnezzar would not be taking many captives as he did before,
but would show no mercy (Ezek. 5:1-17).[10]
Let us focus
on just the numerical part of this dramatic demonstration. A period
of a total of 430 years is indicated: 390 for Israel followed by
40 for Judah. We have seen many 430-year intervals in this series,
always tied to the Venus cycle. Moreover, the 40 years for Judah
is also a Venus/Mercury realignment cycle. So if we knew what ending
point of the count of years was implied, then we could count back
both 40 years and 430 years to look for possible significance.
Nebuchadnezzar's
Siege
Ezekiel's demonstration
of the coming siege of Jerusalem indicates that most likely the beginning
date of the siege would complete the 430 years. We have already seen
that the Lord later commanded Ezekiel to record the very day the siege
began (Ezek. 24:1-2), which was Fri 11 Dec 589 BC, being 10 Teb (H),
1 Res (V), 1 Res (M).[11]
That is an ideal place to begin counting back a 40-year Venus/Mercury
realignment, because both the Venus and Mercury calendars were aligned
on the sacred day 1 Resurrection and they would likely align again
40 years earlier.
Josiah's Cleansing
Counting back
one 40-year Venus/Mercury alignment cycle of 14,599 days, brings
us to Mon 21 Dec 629 BC pm*, which was 1 Teb (H, Begin Winter),
1 Res (V), 1 Res (M), and 1 Light (SR). Those last three holy days
are not a surprise because a Venus/Mercury realignment period is
expected to realign those days. But it is a bonus that the day was
also 1 Tebeth, a holy day on the Hebrew Calendar (Winter Solstice).
So that is a witness that we are on the right track, and that this
truly is the day symbolized by Ezekiel. What might have happened
at that time? It was most likely when King Josiah began to purge
all of the idolatry from Judah in his twelfth year (2 Chron. 34:3).
If so, then it would be a good date to represent Judah as the Lord
said. I have not yet attempted a detailed chronology of all of the
kings of Judah and Israel; at this point I am only trying to establish
the key anchor dates of religious history, so more research on this
point is needed.
 |
David
Victorious. |
David: King
of Israel
Now let's count
back another 390 years, for a total of a 430-year Venus realignment
interval. That brings us to Sat 16 Nov 1019 BC, 5 Kislev (Hebrew),
1 Res (V), 1 Light (SR). What event might have occurred at that time
that the Lord might have chosen to represent Israel? That day was
seven years and six months from the date proposed for the beginning
of King David's reign over Judah. Did anything significant happen
at that time of David's reign? The
answer is a resounding yes! The record states that David "reigned
over Judah seven years and six months: and in Jerusalem he reigned
thirty and three years over all Israel and Judah." (2 Sam. 5:5).
So counting back a 430-year Venus cycle from the siege of Nebuchadnezzar
brings us to the very month indicated that David began to rule over
all of Israel, that is, both the kingdoms of Judah and Israel. Thus,
it not only brings us to some significant date, it is also an ideal
date to represent Israel.
This is the
final link in the chronological chain from Adam to Christ. That
is, by counting forward on the sacred calendars, and especially
with the 430-year Venus cycle, we have been able to derive precise
dates for Adam, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, and then
David. Also, we have seen in previous articles that key dates in
the life of Christ aligned with the Venus cycle, as did the captivity
of Jeconiah. The final link is now seen to be counting back one
430-year Venus cycle from the siege of Jerusalem to David's being
crowned King of all Israel. So we have counted forward from Adam,
and backward from Christ, and with the amazing precision of agreeing
with the exact scriptural month that David's reign over Israel began.
Now we have more than sufficient justification to accept all of
these dates as correct.[12]
Witness of
Assyrian Chronology
After David became
King of all Israel (in 1019 BC), many of the nearby nations made war
against him, and he prevailed. The Kingdom of Israel grew into a major
power very quickly, having conquered Palestine, Syria, Edom, Moab,
Ammon, and Zobah (2 Sam. 8). Then those nations sent for help from
the "Syrians beyond the river," referring to Assyria, beyond the Euphrates
(2 Sam. 10:15). That nation also suffered huge losses (40,000 infantrymen
and 7,000 horsemen, 2 Sam. 10:18). The Septuagint (Greek) version
of the Old Testament includes the name of the King of Assyria at that
time, "Chalamak" (II Kings 10:15). The historian Josephus explicitly
states, "they sent to Chalaman, the king of the Syrians, beyond the
Euphrates, and hired him for an auxiliary." (Antiquities VII.vi.3).
He adds that after that battle, Assyria also became part of David's
empire. This
is an extremely important clue to chronology, because Assyria preserved
a detailed listed of kings and important events for centuries. The
wonderful fact about these Assyrian records is that they include
some eclipses of the sun, which lock in those years with absolute
certainty. It was these records which led to the "Revised Chronology"
listed in the LDS Bible Dictionary under "Chronology" which starts
at a date for Solomon's son Rehoboam in 953 BC. Nevertheless, the
Assyrian chronology is still being revised because several versions
of their chronology have been found which do not all agree, and
more recently proposed dates for Rehoboam are 931 BC and 945 BC.
The results being presented in this article agree well with the
latter proposal because Solomon's 40-year reign would have ended
about that time.[13]
So the question
is, is there an Assyrian king listed shortly after 1019 BC who could
be identified with Chalaman? The answer is that, based on the Assyrian
chronology, Shalmaneser II is listed by scholars as having reigned
from 1030-1018 BC.[14]
"Shalmaneser"
is very close linguistically to "Chalaman." Thus, this independent
record confirms that the battle of David vs. Shalmaneser II most
likely occurred in the summer of 1018 BC. This date agrees precisely
with the conclusions of at least one scholar who has researched
this material in detail.[15]
Table 1 summarizes the dates proposed in this article and all the
dates published so far are listed on all seven sacred calendars
on my website.[16]
| Event |
Date
BC |
Hebrew |
S.Round |
Venus |
Merc. |
| David
born |
Sat 4
Jul 1057 |
17 Tam |
1 Deer |
1 Res |
1 Bir |
| King
of Judah |
Thu 22
Jun 1026 |
17 Tam |
1 Quake |
1 Cre |
1 Lrd |
| King
of Israel |
Sat 16
Nov 1019 |
5 Kis |
1 Light |
1 Res |
— |
| Solomon
born |
Tue 26
Jun 1009 |
1 Tam |
1 Monkey |
1 Res |
1 Pri |
| David
died |
Mon 12
Jun 986 pm* |
1 Tam |
1 Condor |
1 Cre |
1 Lrd |
| Temple
begun |
Tue 14
Apr 983 |
2 Iyr |
— |
— |
— |
| Temple
done |
Sun 30
Oct 976 |
12 Hes |
— |
— |
— |
| Priests
begin |
Sat 5
Sep 972 |
1 Tis |
13 Eagle |
— |
0 Res |
| Temple
Dedication |
Sat 19
Sep 972 |
15 Tis |
1 Water |
— |
1 Lrd |
| Temple
Finale |
Fri 2
Oct 972 pm* |
29 Tis |
1 Wind |
— |
1 Cre |
Table
1. Summary of Dates presented in this article.
Now let us turn
to one more witness of the entire series of dates.
The
Witness of Years as Days
There is another
independent witness of many of the dates that have been presented
in this entire series of articles. It is the fact that the Lord says
he counts years as he does days. That led me to ask whether or not
every year might be given a name in exactly the same as the days of
the Hebrew year. That is, one year could be called 1 NISAN (capital
letters referring to a year), and the next year 2 NISAN, even as the
days of the year are called 1 Nisan, followed by 2 Nisan. Thus, the
year named 1 NISAN would only occur about once in 365 years.[17]
The order in
which the Hebrew days appears is fixed. Once a year is chosen to
correspond with 1 NISAN, then all of the other years in history
are determined, subject to a few other constraints.[18]
Let us choose the year beginning at the Beginning of Mortality,
when Adam and Eve were driven from the Garden of Eden, to be the
year 1 NISAN, corresponding to New Year's Day. Having made that
choice, look at the amazing results which come from merely following
the Lord's pattern, which is ultimately derived from the orbits
of the earth and moon.
| Event |
Year
BC/AD |
Year
Name |
Remarks |
| Beginning
of Mortality |
4001
BC |
1 NISAN |
New World
Begins |
| Exodus |
1462
BC |
1 NISAN |
Nation
of Israel born |
| Change
from Judges to Kings? |
1077
BC |
1 NISAN |
New Government |
| Solomon's
Temple Dedication |
972 BC |
17 TAMMUZ |
Fast
Day, also David's Birthday |
| Captivity
of Israel begins |
723 BC |
1 NISAN |
Israel
scattered |
| Captivity
of Judah begins |
605 BC |
1 AB |
Holy
Day, Begin counting 70 years |
| Captivity
of King Jeconiah |
597 BC |
9 AB |
Fast
Day |
| Captivity
Ends |
537 BC |
10 TISHRI |
Atonement,
70th year |
| Greek
Empire begins |
370 BC |
1 NISAN |
Philip
of Macedonia |
| Savior
born |
1 BC |
14 ADAR2 |
Feast
of "A Star" (Esther) |
| Savior
Baptized |
AD 29 |
14 NISAN |
Passover |
| Savior
begins Public Ministry |
AD 30 |
15 NISAN |
Passover |
| Nephites
Destroyed |
AD 384 |
15 NISAN |
Passover |
| L.D.S.
Church born |
AD 1830 |
14 NISAN |
Passover |
| Restoration
Completed |
AD 1836 |
20 NISAN |
Last
Day Passover |
Table
2. Year Names. When years are sequentially named for Hebrew
days, a pattern emerges showing many key religious events occurred
in "holy years."
New Beginnings:
1 NISAN
From the table it is seen
that the year 1 NISAN seems to mark beginnings of long eras in the
history of the Lord's people. The year of the Exodus falls exactly
on the year named 1 NISAN using this counting pattern. It is important
to understand that the pattern indicates a precise year, that is,
once the pattern is chosen, it cannot be shifted by even one year.
The next time the year 1 NISAN comes around is in the year 1077 BC.
That is twenty years before the birth of David and may somehow symbolize
the end of the period of Judges and transition to kings. The next
occurrence of 1 NISAN occurs in the year 723 BC, the year of the deportation
of Israel to Assyria.[19]
This date certainly was a "new beginning" for Israel, resulting in
one portion becoming "lost" and the many of the rest spreading out
over Europe.[20]
An interesting tie to the Book of Mormon is that the Nephite civilization
ended in AD 384, being 384 years after the birth of Christ in 1 BC
(Mormon 6:5). That year corresponded to 15 NISAN. Sometimes ages seem
to begin or end in the PASSOVER year and sometimes on the NEW YEAR;
more research is necessary to clarify this point.
Temple Dedication:
17 TAMMUZ
Now we see another witness
of the correctness of the date of the dedication of the temple of
Solomon. According to this pattern, it occurred in the year 17 TAMMUZ,
which corresponds to the birthday of David, and to a holy year. Note
that the birthdays of the prophets rarely occur in these holy years.
Those years seem to be more for scheduling events on a larger scale
that affect all of the Lord's people.
70-Year Captivity
of Judah
The most amazing
part of the table to me is the set of three related years of the 70-year
captivity of Judah. It began in the year 605 BC (1 AB) when Nebuchadnezzar
took the first captives. Most of Jerusalem was deported in 597 BC
(9 AB), and the captivity ended in 538 BC (10 TISHRI) when Cyrus conquered
Babylon.[21]
All three of those years are not only "holy years" but even the particular
days are meaningful. The day 1 Ab begins a month and hence is a good
"beginning" day, the day 9 Ab is the fast commemorating the destruction
of the temple, and 10 Tishri is the day of Atonement, representing
making reconciliation with God. That all three of those key dates
all testify of the captivity is a strong witness of their accuracy
and importance on the Lord's schedule. It is also witness of the foreknowledge
of God, as well as of his creating the huge clock of the orbits of
the earth and moon such that the Hebrew calendar pattern would work
not only to measure every day in history, but also that the identical
pattern could also reckon every year of history.
|
Savior
Born at Feast of "A Star." |
Jesus Christ:
Meridian Passover
Of course if this
year-to-a-day pattern is used for religious events, we would expect
it to apply to key events in the Savior's life. Here we are not disappointed.
His birth occurred in the year 1 BC, which corresponds on this calendar
to the day 14 ADAR2, the Feast of Esther. As this research began,
it was not clear to me whether or not the Feast of Esther was an holiday
on God's calendar, or only on the Jewish calendar. After, many holy
days have been added, and I needed to prove each one to see if God
celebrates that holy day. It was when I discovered this correlation,
and also that the name Esther means "a star," that I became convinced
that this holy day is real. I had expected the Christ would be born
in a Passover year, but what could be more appropriate that having
him born in the year of the Feast of a Star? Apparently the Star of
Bethlehem itself was prepared to join in the festivities.
An example of
"meridian" symbolism is that when one reckons the Grand Year of
385 years in which Jesus was born from 1 TISHRI to 1 TISHRI, the
year of his birth corresponding exactly to the middle year. That
is, it is year 193 of 385.
It was both
the Baptism and Beginning of the Public Ministry of Christ which
occurred in the Passover year.[22]
One full week of seven years corresponding to Passover week began
at his baptism, and he was crucified precisely at the midpoint of
that week. Every detail of the timing of the Savior's life seems
to have taken into consideration at the Creation.
LDS "Passover
Week"
Was the Hebrew calendar
all fulfilled with the law of Moses at the Resurrection of Jesus Christ?
The Prophet Joseph Smith taught that what was fulfilled and done away
with after the Resurrection was only the detailed laws which were
given to Moses, but not what was known from the days of Adam (TPJS
pp. 172-173). We have seen that the Hebrew calendar was used in the
timing of events from Adam on, so it should not be surprising to see
that the Lord may still be using it in our day.
The 7-year PASSOVER
week of years only occurs about once every three centuries. It turns
out that the pattern indicates that the current Grand Year began
on Thu 20 Mar 1817, which was the day 1 Nisan in the year 1 NISAN.
The pattern described above suggests that the year 1817 should mark
a "new beginning" for the Lord's people.
 |
| Elijah's
Return Completed the Passover Week of Years. |
The LDS Church
was born on Thu 6 Apr 1830, near the beginning of the year 14 NISAN,
corresponding to PASSOVER. That in itself is a huge indication that
the Lord is still using this pattern. Remember, a PASSOVER year
only occurs once in 365 years, on the average.
There is a second
witness that this was not a chance coincidence. That year began
a 7-year week, which should end 6 years later with a "holy convocation,"
also called a "solemn assembly" on the seventh and last day (year)
of Passover (Lev. 23:8). Sure enough, on Easter Sunday of the year
1836, the Savior, Moses, Elias and Elijah all returned to the Kirtland
Temple to bestow keys which would complete the restoration of the
Church of Jesus Christ. Thus, the 7-year PASSOVER period encompassed
key events of the restoration from beginning to end and definitely
seems to be part of the grand overall pattern.
Beyond
Chance
It seems pointless to me
at this point to try to impress the reader by calculating the odds
of one in trillions of trillions with the fact that all of these alignments
are totally beyond chance. Instead, I will compare it to a hike I
took last month to see some petrified trees. The hike was along a
ravine without a marked trail and I had no map. Walking up the rocky
dry wash, I noticed a small pile of about four rocks, like a little
pillar, with a piece of petrified wood on top. I was still far from
my destination so I looked around, and there on the ground, at the
bottom of the stream bed was a petrified log embedded in the ground.
Later, near the location I hoped to find the remains of the ancient
forest, I saw another small pile of rocks, again with a piece of petrified
wood on top. Looking about, I saw no petrified wood, but I believed
that these pillars had been created by someone to indicate the way.
So I left the ravine at that point and was delighted to find the petrified
trees nearby.
What are the
chances that those piles of rocks just happened to be piled up by
natural random forces, such as rocks tumbling down the hill and
landing on top of each other? And what is the chance that the last
such piece would be a flat piece of petrified wood? And that two
such pillars would assemble themselves? And that both would occur
right at the location of large petrified logs?
One doesn't
have to be skilled in calculating mathematical probabilities to
know that there is not a chance in the world that those markers
built themselves. It was not even necessary for me to know that
piles of rocks are often used to mark trails. The piece of petrified
wood atop the pillar would make it clear to anyone that someone
was trying to communicate something about petrified wood to future
hikers. No one would think that those piles happened by chance.
The chances
that all of the calendar alignments on holy days and in holy years
presented in this series of five articles happened by chance is
about the same as those two piles just happening by chance to be
near the petrified logs, without having been stacked up by a person.
And yet, the pillars were very easy to explain once I believed that
someone had prepared the way for me. Accordingly, the only rational
explanation known to me of all of these calendrical alignments is
that there was a Creator, who had a Master Plan from the beginning,
who scheduled the key events in religious history on his day-planner
and DAY-planner, and then created a solar system to indicate just
what day it is.
Conclusion
The set of interlocking
dates between David and Solomon testify that the Biblical account
that Solomon's temple was begun in the 480th year from the Exodus
is precisely correct. It proposes a very likely birth date for David
which fits the pattern of having fallen on a Hebrew holy day and also
of Venus and Mercury, as was Jesus Christ, the "son of David." Ezekiel's
430 years (a Venus cycle), which indicates to the very month when
King David began to rule over Israel, witnesses of the last link in
the chronological chain from Adam to Christ. These
five articles started with Adam and showed that there is a continuous
set of linked anchor dates at the times of Adam, Noah, Abraham,
Moses, and David. The last two key anchor dates are at the time
of the captivity of Jeconiah and of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
In addition to each of these sets of dates having the witnesses
of several rare alignments of multiple sacred calendars, there is
also the over-arching witness of the names of years counted by exactly
the same pattern used for days. Calculating the odds of so many
alignments occurring by chance indicates that there is negligible
probability of that happening. Thus, an absolute framework of anchor
dates throughout history has been established, based on astronomical
calculations as precise as those which calculate the dates of past
observed eclipses. All of these dates together testify in an irrefutable
chorus that there is a Creator who has a master schedule of key
religious events which was known to the very day before the foundations
of the solar system were laid.
Notes
- Pratt,
John P., "Venus
and the Beginning of Mortality," Meridian Magazine
(9 Jul 2003), "Astronomical
Witnesses of the Great Flood," Meridian Magazine (13
Aug 2003), "Divine
Calendars Testify of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob," Meridian
Magazine (11 Sep 2003), "Exodus
Date Testifies of Christ," Meridian Magazine (7 Oct
2003).
- Pratt,
John P., "Passover:
Was it Symbolic of His Coming?" Ensign (Jan. 1994),
pp. 38-45, and "When
Was Judah's 70-Year Babylonian Captivity?" Ensign (Oct
1998) pp. 64-65.
- See
Pratt, "Captivity." This date is known precisely because it is
recorded in the Babylonian Chronicles. A great source on this
subject is Edwin R. Thiele, The Mysterious Numbers of the Hebrew
Kings (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1983), who on p. 186 states,
"The Babylonian tablet states that Nebuchadnezzar ... besieged
Jerusalem and captured the city on 2 Adar (Saturday, 16 March)
597." That date on the Julian calendar (which historians prefer)
is identical to Sat 10 Mar 597 BC on our modern Gregorian calendar,
used throughout my articles because of its greater accuracy.
- Largey,
Dennis L, ed., Book of Mormon Reference Companion (Salt
Lake City: Deseret Book, 2003), in the article on "Chronology,
Bible" by David R. Seely, p. 194. This wonderful new encyclopedic
volume contains a wealth of research and is an instant "must have"
for anyone wanting to keep abreast of current scriptural research.
Seely gives the date of about 1260 BC as commonly accepted by
scholars for the Exodus. He is in turn quoting what is perhaps
the most accepted standard reference: Jack Finegan, Handbook
of Biblical Chronology, Rev. ed. (Peabody, Mass.: Henrickson,
1998), pp. 202-206, 245.
- This
traditional interpretation is found in the Chronology section
of the Dictionary in the current LDS Bible.
- Lefgren,
John C. & Pratt, John P., "Dead
Sea Scrolls May Solve Mystery," Meridian Magazine (12
Mar 2003).
- Even
this seemingly simple calculation must be done with caution. There
is evidence that some kings counted their reigns from the fall
and some from the spring. If he counted from the fall, then it
could have begun in 987 BC. Also, there is debate about whether
the first year of the king was when he actually was crowned, or
if it began at the beginning of the following year. Fortunately
we can avoid many of these details because we have a new tool
to determine actual death dates. The death date found for David
implies that the first year of Solomon was counted from when he
actually began to reign, whether or not regnal years were reckoned
from fall or spring.
- Pratt,
John P., "From
Martyrdom to Celebration!" Meridian Magazine (June
6, 2002), section 6.
- Thiele
listed his age as 23 as quoted on p. 261 of Faulstich, E.W., History,
Harmony & the Hebrew Kings (Spencer, Iowa: Chronology
Books, 1986). The dates for David and Solomon's reigns, as well
as for the Exodus are within a year of what Faulstich calculated
using very different techniques. He researched the relationships
to the Assyrian Eponym tables in detail and proposed dates for
all of the kings of both Israel and Judah.
- An
important consequence for understanding the Book of Mormon about
this demonstration is that the Babylonian captivity, prophesied
by Lehi (1 Nephi 1:13) was well underway at this time, and only
a few captives would be taken at the final destruction in 587
BC. Lehi probably left in Apr 601 BC before the first destruction
of Jerusalem in Nov 601 BC. See Pratt, John P., "Lehi's
600-Year Prophecy of the Birth of Christ," Meridian Magazine
(31 Mar 2000).
- Pratt,
John P., "Mortality,"
Section 2.2. This proposed date is one month earlier than that
usually given (see Thiele, p. 190) because the Hebrew calendar
did not always coincide with the Babylonian calendar, which most
scholars use for their calculations. The Hebrew often began one
month ahead of the Babylonian, was we have seen in the case of
the capture of Jeconiah on 10 Mar 597 BC, which was 1 Nisan (Hebrew)
and 2 Adar (Babylonian). In 589 BC the Hebrew year again began
on 10 March, but the Babylonian a month later. That might explain
why the Lord actually told Ezekiel what the day was called, rather
than simply to tell him to record the date, because the day differed
from the calendar where he was captive.
- Another
witness comes from the dates on which the 430-day ordeal occurred.
Ezekiel tells us the precise day on which he began: one week (Ezek.
3:16) after he had had a vision about wheels within wheels on
5 Tammuz of the fifth year of the captivity (Fri 24 Jun 593 BC,
Ezek. 1:1-2). The beginning day of the ordeal was Thu 30 Jun 593
BC pm*, which was 1 Eagle (SR) and 1 Res (M). That day is indicated
precisely in the Bible, so it is significant that it was a holy
day on two sacred calendars. The day 390 days after he began was
Tue 25 Jul 592 BC pm*, being 1 Serpent (SR) and the Midsummer
Fast (Enoch). The 40th day thereafter, the last day of the ordeal,
was Sat 2 Sep 592 BC, being 1 Dragon (SR) and the Last Day of
Burning on the Jubilee Fixed Calendar. All three of those dates
are significant: beginning on 1 Res (M) can imply that all of
the symbolized dates were 1 Res (V); and the actual burning of
the temple most likely ended on Sun 24 July 587 BC, the day after
9 Ab (Midsummer Fast, Hebrew) and the Burning on the Jubilee calendar.
On that calendar the feast of Tabernacles often requires two weeks,
which would explain why Solomon extended that feast at the dedication
of the temple. This is the first reference to the Jubilee calendar
in my articles, but in due time it will be published because it
is yet another witness of many of the dates proposed in this series.
- Thiele
derives 931 BC, but admits that it is only one possible proposed
solution. His goal was not necessarily to get the one "true" answer,
but to show that at least one answer consistent with the Bible
is possible. After reviewing Thiele's work, Faulstich proposed
945 BC for Rehoboam, which agrees with my reckoning that Solomon's
40-year reign would have ended in 946-945 BC.
- The
reference used by Finegan, Thiele and Faulstich is Daniel David
Luckenbill, Ancient Records of Assyria and Babylonia, Vol.
II (New York: Greenwood Press, 1968), sec. 1196-98, pp. 428-439,
reprinted in Faulstich p. 265. The 1018 date represents a later
revision by one year, Faulstich, p. 274.
- Faulstich,
p. 84, concludes that the "Battle of David vs. Shalmaneser II"
occurred in 1018 BC, the year that Shalmaneser died.
- Pratt,
John P., "Religious Chronology Summary," at http://www.johnpratt.com/items/docs/lds/dates.html.
- The
Hebrew calendar has year lengths of 353, 354, 355, 383, 384 and
385 days, arranged so that years begin at the new moon and average
to 365.25 days in length.
- One
such constraint of the Perpetual Hebrew Calendar used in these
articles is to choose which year corresponds to a "sabbath year."
Remember that the Lord also counts years in weeks of seven years
(Lev. 25:3-7), and hence every year can be thought of as named
for the days of the week. Thus, a SUNDAY (again capitals refer
to a year) would be the first year of a the 7-year cycle, and
SATURDAY would be the last day, like the days of the week. My
work agrees with the traditional Jewish interpretation, which
is that Hebrew years which are divisible by seven are sabbath
years (SATURDAY). For example, the last Jewish sabbath year began
on Sat 30 Sep 2000, 1 Tishri (Hebrew), beginning the Hebrew year
5761, which year is a multiple of seven (5761 = 823 x 7).
- The
years 721 and 722 BC are often given, but both Thiele and Faulstich
argue strongly that the reconciliation with the newly found ancient
records demands that 723 BC is correct (Thiele, in his preface
to his most recent third edition, p. 24).
- Pratt,
John P., "Geological
Evidence for the British Throne of David?" Meridian Magazine
(2 June 2003).
- Pratt,
John P., "Captivity" and
"Celestial
Witnesses of the Meridian of Time," Meridian Magazine
(10 Jul 2002), Section 1.
- Here,
the details of the celebration are important. If the day is counted
as beginning in the evening, then Passover is the day 15 Nisan,
as on the Hebrew calendar. But if the day is counted as beginning
at dawn, then Passover begins on the evening of 14 Nisan, and
continues through the evening of 15 Nisan. The distinction was
made by referring to the holy day on the 15th as Unleavened Bread,
and to the 14th as Passover (Lev. 23:5-6). In my articles, to
avoid confusion and because I use almost exclusively the Hebrew
calendar as beginning at 6 p.m., I simply combine both into one,
as do the Jews, calling it Passover. But counting years as days
from 1 Nisan in the spring is like counting days from dawn (i.e.
spring is like dawn). So the "year" of Passover technically begins
on 1 Tishri in the autumn of the year 14 NISAN and continues until
the following 1 Tishri in the year 15 NISAN. Thus, in a sense,
both 14 and 15 NISAN are "Passover years."
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