Introduction

God often hides things in His word, and they should be exciting for His believers to find (Matthew 13:10-13,18). In deriving a timeline from Adam to Noah, one can see the correlation with science and history of the Ubaid Period. But, take a closer look at the dates (see Table 1), and there are three dates in particular worth noting: 4336 BC, 4119 BC and 3761 BC. These dates were derived by applying the King's Calendar's 1.083 conversion factor, and counting backward from the scientifically derived and historically supported Flood date of 2807 BC. The three dates were highlighted originally in my notes because they marked interesting events, called out in the chronology of Adam's descendents. Adam's birth marks the beginning of the timeline. Enosh's birth saw men begin calling on the name of the LORD; Enoch did not die, but was taken by the LORD. It was after the Hebrew Calendar was considered that these dates just popped, to reveal four fascinating congruities with the dates associated with the Hebrew Calendar.

Congruence #1 - Birth of Enoch, a Type of Christ

The first congruence is the date on which the Hebrew Calendar begins: 3761 BC. Jose Ben Halafta1 and his student, Hillil II, get alternating credit for having computed the Hebrew Calendar's start. The dates in scripture were used at face value and to the best of their knowledge. Their conclusions were accepted and formalized, resulting in a calendar that starts in 3761 BC, which according to Table 1, may turn out to be Enoch's birth year.

The fascinating thing about this congruence is that Enoch is the first individual after Adam who is said to have walked with God, and the only one who appears not to have died (Genesis 5:24). This makes him a type of Christ; Jesus also walked with God and ascended to be with Him in Heaven.

This is a fascinating messianic reminder, because rather than telling us the number of years since creation, it makes the Hebrew year a recording of the age of Enoch, the type of Christ, the man who went to be with God.

Congruence #2 - Birth of Enosh

Another fascinating congruence is the year that people began calling on the name of the Lord... that would be the birth of Enosh (Genesis 4:26), 4119 BC. Consider that the Hebrew calendar was formalized in what became the Hebrew year 4119. Note that the year 3761 counts up from what was intended to be the year of Creation, the beginning of the Old Testament; Enosh's birth is counted back from the date intended to record Jesus' birth, the beginning of New Testament. Both anchor dates are wrong, yet both durations are 4119 years, as shown below. This is testimony to God's use of our mistakes to serve His will, to point us to Him, whether we mean to or not.

Enosh - 4119 BC <-------------------- 4119 Years --------------------> 1 AD - intended to be the Birth of Jesus

Enoch - 3761 BC (intended to be date of creation) <-------------------- 4119 Years --------------------> 358 AD - Creation of Hebrew Calendar

Congruence #3 - Relative Birthdates of Adam and Jesus

A very popular opinion is that Jesus was actually born in 4 AD, suggesting a duration from Creation to Jesus' birth of 4339 years. Well, the Seder Olam Zuta2 (considered more complete than the earlier Seder Olam Rabah3) computed a creation date that falls in 4339 BC, also suggesting a duration of 4339 years from Creation to Jesus' birth. Yet again, both dates are wrong!

Congruence #4 - Jesus' Return(?)

If the Hebrew year 1 were considered to be 4336 BC (as in Table 1 above), then the year 6400 will fall in the Gregrorian year of 2064. Without the other congruities above, this one would probably mean little, just a convenient coincidence of numbers. However, take the congruities above as divine confirmation of the first three, and this congruence could in fact have some meaning that we do not yet grasp. Consider this: it will begin the 100th anniversay of the founding of the Palesinian Liberation Organization (PLO), which believes that the Jews stole the Holy Land from them. Also the 100-year anniversary of the 6-Day War, which is when Israel captured East Jerusalem, will be almost 3½ years after the beginning of 2064, and more than 3½ years after the beginning of 6400... ½-way into the Tribulation? Frankly, any prediction about the Tribulation seems far-fatched to me, but Jesus implied that the end times would occur within the lifetime of the generation that sees the fig tree blossom (Mark 13:30). The fig tree is thought to be Israel, it could be argued that it blossomed with the 6-Day War, a timeframe of 100 years is not entirely outrageous. Of course, Jesus also went on to say that nobody knows the day or the hour these things will come (Mark 13:32). On the other hand, he didn't say "year", and He could have. But, He also said to remain ready for His return at any time, and that admonition does not change. So, I point out this mystery with caution.

Conclusion

Calculations will be close to other calculations, and dates will line up with other dates. It is statistically inevitable. It does not always mean something is significant or going to happen. Therefore, quantity and quality are important when noticing them. In that vein, if the dates above are correct, then a comparison to the Hebrew Calendar brings out four congruities: 1) A type of Christ whose birth is celebrated with the Hebrew new year, 2) A man whose birth relative to Christ's foretells the creation of the Hebrew Calendar, 3) A competing Hebrew timeline whose year of creation consistent with the most common opinion of Christ's birth, and 4) A date in the future, 2064, which will occur precisely 6400 years after Adam's birth... 100 years after the formation of the PLO, possibly hinting at the Tribulation... or something else we must merely be alert to.

In short, these congruities hint at Christ's birth (#3), Christ's life and ascension (#1, #2), and Christ's return (#4?). If the GeoCreationist computation of Adam's birth were different by just a year, such precise congruities would not be there.

1. "Jose ben Halafta" - Wikipedia

2. "Seder 'Olam Zuta" - article by M. Seligsohn, JewishEncyclopia.com

3. "Seder 'Olam Rabbah" - article by M. Seligsohn, JewishEncyclopedia.com

4. The Jewish Encyclopedia, Volume 11 - by Isidore Singer, Cyrus Adler, p. 148, 1912

1/25/2012 - Typos and clarifications