Bible Chronology Timeline

Chronologies of the Mysteries of God. Page 1

ADAM: FATHER OF ALL RACES

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Introduction

From the beginning of time, God appointed a perfect chronology in order that His will may be done on earth. Therefore, the Word of God, through genealogies, chronologies and prophecies, will guide you through the different periods of earth and enlighten your mind with “the key of knowledge” (Luke 11:52). God’s knowledge has been promised to all who diligently search for truth and look forward to attain wisdom. Therefore, “…Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God…” (Luke 8:10).

Chronologies of the Mysteries of God, is a thorough research that covers the chronology of the world since the day when Adam was created until our present time. This book will confirm that God is in control of world events and that nothing happens by chance. It will also explain God’s plan of salvation, which was ordained from the foundation of the world and continues until the end of time.

The Beginning of Time

Created by the Word of God, planet earth was intended to reproduce God’s goodness in the lives of its inhabitants. A great blessing was bestowed upon the first created beings who also inherited time as part of their patrimony.

An early biblical chronology depicts how God established the patterns for the measurements of time for our planet. On the fourth day of Creation week God appointed two spherical lights through which we are able to record time and chronological history. In Scripture the sun and the moon are called, “the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night” (Genesis 1:16). In Genesis 1:14 the Bible reveals for the first time a scientific data pertaining to the cosmology of this world and presents the role that the sun and the moon play in recording time in days, months, and years:

“And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years” (Genesis 1:14).

By God’s command the celestial spheres in our solar system were put to motion. Our planet began a daily rotation movement of 24 hours around the sun and a yearly translation movement of 360 days. Our planet’s time began to tick away from God’s creation week, nonetheless in its origins the earth did not age because sin had not yet infected the world.

Chart of the Chronology of the Early Patriarchs

No	FATHER	FATHER’S AGE	SON’S BIRTH	TEXT	WORLD YEAR
-	GOD CREATED	-	Adam	Genesis 1:26-31	1
1st	ADAM	130	Seth	Genesis 5:3	130
2nd	SETH	105	Enos	Genesis 5:6	235
3rd	ENOS	90	Cainan	Genesis 5:9	325
4th	CAINAN	70	Mahalaleel	Genesis 5:12	395
5th	MAHALALEEL	65	Jared	Genesis 5:15	460
6th	JARED	162	Enoch	Genesis 5:18	622
7th	ENOCH	65	Methuselah	Genesis 5:21	687
8th	METHUSELAH	187	Lamech	Genesis 5:25	874
9th	LAMECH	182	Noah	Genesis 5:28	1056
10th	NOAH	500	Shem	Genesis 5:32	1556
11th	SHEM	100	Arphaxad	Genesis 11:9,10 The Flood	1656
12th	ARPHAXAD	35	Salah	Genesis 11:12	1691
13th	SALAH	30	Eber	Genesis 11:14	1721
14th	EBER	34	Peleg	Genesis 11:16	1755
15th	PELEG	30	Reu	Genesis 11:18	1785
16th	REU	32	Serug	Genesis 11:20	1817
17th	SERUG	30	Nahor	Genesis 11:22	1847
18th	NAHOR	29	Terah	Genesis 11:24	1876
19th	TERAH	70	Abram	Genesis 11:26	1946
20th	ABRAHAM	100	Isaac	Genesis 21:5	2046
21st	ISAAC	60	Jacob	Genesis 25:26	2106

The above chart is the origin of the world chronology. It begins in year 1 when God created Adam and Eve. To number the years we add the age of the early patriarchs at the time when they procreated their progeny. So, when Adam was 130 years old, Seth his son was born; such was the world year 130. Consecutively, to the year 130 you add the age of Seth when he was 105 years old and it will give you the world year 235, when Adam’s grandson Enos was born, and so on.

 130 +  Adam’s age corresponds to the year when Seth was born
 105     Seth’s age when he begot Enos
 = 235  Year when Enos was born

History of the Week

Time is measured by spheres such as the sun and the moon. So we have days, months and years. But you may ask: Where does the weekly cycle of seven days come from? It is easy to think of time in terms of seconds, minutes, hours and days. Such measurements of time follow natural physical laws that God established in the universe, in the Milky Way and in particular in our own solar system. But the celestial spheres are not altogether autonomous, their physical laws are also subjected to the control of God. Of our Creator it is said: “It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth…” (Isaiah 40:22).

Unlike days, months and years, the weekly cycle is not measured by celestial spheres; it was and still is established by the direct word of God. It would have seemed appropriate that God had established another form of sphere such as another moon to mark the beginning and the end of a week. But God chose to establish the weekly cycle totally different from the cycles of spheres with their physical laws. By the command of God the seven-day cycle was established (Genesis 2:2).

Adam and Eve were created with the need to worship the Creator. They were assigned common time for them to work and holy time for them to worship God. The Word of God explains:

“Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made” (Genesis 2:1-3).

The first Sabbath day began at the end of the first week in the chronology of this world. Adam and Eve had just come fresh from the hands of the Creator. They learned that earth, sun and moon determine when common time begins and ends, but God determines the holy Sabbath begins. Thus, humans, aided by the Holy Scriptures can discern the holy from the common. Then by their own free will, they can decide to acknowledge the holiness invested in the seventh day Sabbath.

Adam Created by God in year 1

Adam and Eve believed by faith that God had created this world in seven literal days. By faith, they acknowledged that God called into existence all things by His Word, and more importantly, humanity. “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them” (Genesis 1:27).

The Lord God, who had ordained eternal salvation for human kind, preserved in Genesis all the generations of Adam (Genesis 5:1). All races: Caucasian, European, African, Asian, Indian, Mediterranean, have a common ancestor: Adam. Adam was made in the image of God, and was created perfect. But from the day when they brought on themselves the stain of sin, Adam’s progeny would be procreated in Adam’s “own likeness, after his image” (Genesis 5:3). Had they chosen to remain loyal to God’s command, they would have preserved that blood, pure and unstained. Nonetheless, God has made all peoples of one blood. As the Scripture says: “And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation” (Acts 17:26).

The Paradise in Eden

In the eastern side of Eden (Genesis 2:8) was located the most wonderful garden that human beings could ever imagine. It was a vibrant and colorful paradise with the richest of all biodiversities in flora and fauna which God prepared for our first parents Adam and Eve. A majestic river sprang from Eden and ran towards the east to water the garden (Genesis 2:10). The river divided into four heads: the Pison river which waters the land of Havilah (Genesis 2:11), the Gihon river which waters the country of Ethiopia (Genesis 2:13); the Hidekel river and the Euphrates river (Genesis 2:14) which run toward the east of Assyria, which we will consider shortly.

In the center of the Garden was an awesome view of fragrant and embellishing trees. The Paradise also grew all sorts of flowering and fruit trees. Right in the middle of the garden there were two outstanding trees: the tree of life and the tree of knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:9). But still, the most awesome experience was the presence of God that the Edenic couple enjoyed.

The Lord had commanded the first couple to eat of the fruit of every tree (Genesis 2:16), except for one tree:

“But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die” (Genesis 2:17).

God’s Offer of Grace in Year 1

In the year 1, Eve had fallen into temptation, she disobeyed the Word of God and she sinned. The serpent called Satan (Revelation 12:9) deceived Eve (Genesis 3:1). When Adam saw Eve’s despondent condition, he also tasted the forbidden fruit as Eve gave it to him. (Genesis 3:7). Their senses were awakening to the sad awareness that they were naked. They saw themselves “come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). In distress and agony, they tried to cover their nakedness with aprons made of fig leaves (Genesis 3:7), but they could not remedy their spiritual condition by covering their bodies with leaves.

In His infinite love God called to Adam and Eve, but they were afraid and hid from the presence of the Lord (Genesis 3:8-9). God wanted them to understand the severity of their sin and the calamity that they had brought on themselves. Moreover, God intended them to repent and turn from their wicked way by confessing their sin to God. Instead, they blamed God for their fallen condition. Adam challenged God with the words: “The woman whom Thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. (Genesis 3:12).

Having called Adam and Eve to repentance, the Lord God revealed to them the mystery of the Kingdom of God. He opened to their understanding the opportunity of forgiveness in the plan of redemption. Therefore, as God passed judgment on the head of that old serpent, He also reassured Adam about His plan of salvation: “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel” (Genesis 3:15).

God provided an immediate rescue plan for humanity. From then on were bound to die, but human beings had the option to die temporarily or eternally. What a wonderful provision! The Son of God was offered as a sacrifice to make atonement for humanity. On that very day, God performed a sacrifice (Genesis 3:21), the first death in the entire universe, and with the skins He covered the nakedness of Adam and Eve’s bodies (Genesis 3:21). The slaughtering of that lamb was a token of the eternal sacrifice of the Son of God. Adam and his progeny began to expect God’s redemption through God’s Son. But the controversy that began in Heaven when the Cherub Lucifer rebelled against God (Isaiah 14:12-14; Ezekiel 28:14-16), continued here on earth. That Cherub became what is today, Satan, and he was also expecting the fulfillment of God’s prophecy. Satan wanted to thwart the plan of salvation by killing the Son of God as soon as He would be born as a human.

God’s First Judgment on Earth

God’s first judgment on earth occurred in the center of the Garden of Eden in the year 1. Adam and Eve had fallen in temptation and were destitute of the glory of God. Although they had sinned, our first parents did not remain for ever in rebellion against God. They confessed their sin and through God’s offer of grace, they received forgiveness. Nonetheless, they reaped what they sowed; their fate was to die, as “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). Accordingly, God pronounced such a fateful judgment:

“In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return” (Genesis 3:19).

As their day of burial began to approach, Adam and Eve saw the dire effects of their sin in the decadence of nature. They had forfeited the tree of life and with it the hold of immortality. A new chapter was open before their lives. Now they were beholding disease, moral decadence, aging, suffering and death. Adam, however, preached of the day of God’s deliverance. Adam had brought a terrible calamity as it is written: “by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned” (Romans 5:12). Therefore, Adam’s patrimony was sin and its consequence: the death sentence on all humanity.

Adam recognized that through God’s grace he would live again. The message was clear as it is today; God’s providence had already made provisions for the day of redemption. He learned that the dust would give up his dead body on resurrection day, and like the prophet Isaiah proclaimed centuries later, he clung to the glorious hope that he would be resurrected, just as his Lord would be:

“Thy dead men shall live; together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead” (Isaiah 26:19).

The First 130 Years in World History

Religious bigotry and hatred in matters concerning worship caused the world’s first murder. The ancient record of God’s Word notes: “And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD. And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering” (Genesis 4:3-4).

The two brothers came to worship God in completely different ways. Yet God had given to them a perfect example of what worship the Lord delights to receive. In the Garden of Eden God had sacrificed a lamb representing the offering that He was bestowing to the fallen human race. That example should have been followed by both brothers but only the younger brother Abel brought an acceptable offering and God accepted the worship of Abel but not the false worship of Cain (Genesis 4:5). In that way, the faith of two brothers was put to the test and Cain failed. Envy, jealousy and hatred were harbored in Cain’s heart, which led him to the brutal murder of faithful Abel (Genesis 4:8). From ancient times the earth has been witness to the sad condition of an unending conflict between good and evil. Like Cain, worshipers in the world are seeking to please God, following their own personal understanding of what is acceptable worship to God; but to us, just like every person who has ever lived in this fallen world, God reveals His will: “He hath showed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God” (Micah 6:8). Obedience to God rather than the dictates of one’s own mind will always be an issue of true worship and of faith, the Scripture says: “By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh” (Hebrews 11:4).

Satan instigated Cain to kill his brother Abel as he was enraged by the prophecy of Genesis 3:15, and by killing Abel he thought to thwart its fulfillment. Satan also attempted to destroy the lineage of God’s people through whom the promised Saviour would come. But the old serpent’s scheme was frustrated, as God gave another faithful son to Adam and by his lineage the promise was fulfilled, as the Scripture says: “And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world” (1 John 4:14).

What a wonderful day it was, when in the year 130, by God’s providence, when Adam and Eve enjoyed the blessings of their hundred and thirtieth wedding anniversary, they begot Seth (Genesis 5:3). Although the Saviour was not yet to be sent into the world, that is, the seed of the promise, (Galatians 3:16) through Seth, the seed of the woman of Genesis 3:15; that is, the Redeemer would come.

Adam lived by faith and encouraged his progeny to cling to God’s promise. Therefore, Cain and Abel; Adam’s two sons, learned that the pledge of redemption was offered at the Garden of Eden and that the emblem of God’s assurance was the sacrificial lamb. But with all that knowledge Cain still clung to his own will.

Chart of the Patriarchs’ Longevity

PATRIARCHS	BIRTH YEAR	DEATH YEAR	LONGEVITY	TEXT
1st - ADAM	1	930	930 years	Genesis 1:1,27; 5:5
2nd - SETH	130	1042	912 years	Genesis 5:3,8
3rd - ENOS	235	1140	905 years	Genesis 5:6,11
4th - CAINAN	325	1235	910 years	Genesis 5:9,14
5th - MAHALALEEL	395	1290	895 years	Genesis 5:12,17
6th - JARED	460	1422	962 years	Genesis 5:15,20
7th - ENOCH	622	987	365 years	Genesis 5:18,23
8th - METHUSELAH	687	1656 THE FLOOD	969 years	Genesis 5:21,27
9th - LAMECH	874	1651	777 years	Genesis 5:25,31
10th - NOAH	1056	2006	950 years	Genesis 5:28,9:29
11th - SHEM	1556	2156	600 years	Genesis 11:10,11
12th - ARPHAXAD	1656 THE FLOOD	2094	438 years	Genesis 11:12,13
13th - SALAH	1691	2124	433 years	Genesis 11:14,15
14th - EBER	1721	2185	464 years	Genesis 11:16,17
15th - PELEG	1755	1994	239 years	Genesis 11:18,19
16th - REU	1785	2024	239 years	Genesis 11:20,21
17th - SERUG	1817	2047	230 years	Genesis 11:22,23
18th - NAHOR	1847	1995	148 years	Genesis 11:24,25
19th - TERAH	1876	2081	205 years	Genesis 11:26,32
20th - ABRAHAM	1946	2121	175 years	Genesis 25:7
21st - ISAAC	2046	2226	180 years	Genesis 35:28
22nd - JACOB	2106	2253	147 years	Genesis 47:28

Adam’s Funeral in 930

What a solemn and yet dreadful day it was when Adam, the world’s first preacher, died in the chronological year 930. Adam’s death shows that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). Almost a millennium had elapsed since God’s warning and judgment was first uttered that on the day that he eats of the forbidden fruit he should certainly die. Accompanied by thousands of skeptics at his funeral, Adam’s mortal remains were laid down in his tomb. A mighty man of God succumbed to the power of death. Although Adam had waited for the promise of God’s redemption, he rested in his grave Redeemer had not come. His mortal remains were to mingle with the dust of the earth until resurrection day. But Adam professed the faith of Job. As it is written:

“For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: and though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God.” (Job 19:25-26).

At Adam’s funeral in 930, however, there were not only skeptics but also faithful believers in God; those who eagerly awaited God’s promise of redemption. On that solemn day, there was the cream of God’s seed; great elderly dignitaries of faith, such as his 800 year old son Seth, his 695 year old grandson Enos, his 605 year old great-grand son Cainan, his 535 year old great-great grand son Mahalaleel, his 470 year old great-great-great-grand son Jared, his 308 year old descendant Enoch, his 243 year old descendant Methuselah and his 56 year old descendant Lamech.

Ninth generation patriarch Lamech, who was Noah’s father, was 56 years old in the year of Adam’s funeral. At that time the whole world had one common language. The population had not yet been scattered abroad, therefore, Lamech who was of the pure seed of God’s children might have been present at Adam’s funeral on the day that the world stood still to ponder about the reality that only God has immortality (1 Timothy 6:16). Thus, the 56 year old young man Lamech contemplated with admiration the mortal remains of a sleeping giant who waits for the day when “this mortal must put on immortality” (1 Corinthians 15:53).

Chart of the Years Adam Knew his Descendants

Patriarch’s Genealogical Position	PATRIARCH	Descendants’ Age at Adam’s Death	Adam’s age 930 minus children’s birth year	Years Adam knew his Descendants
1st	ADAM	930	930	930 years
2nd	SETH	800	930 - 130	800 years
3rd	ENOS	695	930 - 235	695 years
4th	CAINAN	605	930 - 325	605 years
5th	MAHALALEEL	535	930 - 395	535 years
6th	JARED	470	930 - 460	470 years
7th	ENOCH	308	930 - 622	308 years
8th	METHUSELAH	243	930 - 687	243 years
9th	LAMECH	56	930 - 874	56 years

What an awesome privilege for Lamech to have known his ancestor Adam for the period of 56 years! So much wisdom about God’s plan of salvation was imparted to him from the lips of the early patriarchs; that is, from first hand recipients of God’s Word and specially from Adam. Lamech, in turn would instruct his son Noah in the many centuries prior to the flood regarding God’s plan of salvation. He could preach the Word of God that had been cited directly from the lips of Adam. He could proclaim, thus says the Lord through our father Adam, whom I knew.

Enoch Walked With God

Enoch, who was the seventh generation from Adam, was born in the year 622. Therefore, he knew Adam for the remaining 308 years of Adam’s life. The old man Adam did not learn about his descendant Enoch’s translation to heaven because that event happened in the year 987 when Enoch was 365 years old (Genesis 5:23,24), exactly 57 years after Adam’s death. But the first man learned from Enoch’s fervent preaching about the destruction of this earth by the worldwide flood (Jude 1:14).

Bear in mind that patriarch Enoch had prophesied about the worldwide flood 969 years before it happened. He received the prophecy regarding the flood on or prior to the birth of his son Methuselah at age 65, that is, in the year 687 when Methuselah was born. Precisely, Enoch named his son Methuselah according to his knowledge of the flood.

Although Enoch did not hear the hammerings of the construction of the ark, for he was translated to Heaven 669 years before the flood, yet he gave solemn messages to his family about God’s judgment. “Enoch had repeated to his children what God had shown him in regard to the Flood, and Methuselah and his sons, who lived to hear the preaching of Noah, assisted in building the ark.”

Enoch’s Way Home to Heaven in 987

Enoch was righteous man who walked this world leaving a legacy of faithfulness and holiness to the Lord. The conduct of his holy life was a great encouragement to the life of Adam who had heard the voice of his beloved descendant Enoch as he prophesied of God’s kingdom.

“And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years: And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him” (Genesis 5:22-24).

Heaven’s gates were now open, in the year 987 to receive Enoch, the man who in this world befriended God. He was the first man of two who ever entered heaven without experiencing the pangs of death. During his life, at the age of 308 he attended Adam’s funeral; he belonged to one of the eight generations of faithful men who eye-witnessed Adam’s burial. And again, all those great dignitaries of God who witnessed Adam’s death remained alive by the time of Enoch’s translation to heaven. His ancestor Seth was 857 years old, his ancestor Enos was 752 years old, his great grandfather Cainan was 662 years old, his grandfather Mahalaleel was 592 years old, his father Jared was 527 years old, his son Methuselah was 300 years old and his grandson Lamech was 113 years old.

Chart of the Age of First Patriarchs at Enoch’s Translation in 987

Genealogical Position	Patriarchs	Year 987 minus Patriarchs’ birth year	Patriarch’s Age at Enoch’s Translation
2nd	SETH	987 - 130	857 years old
3rd	ENOS	987 - 235	752 years old
4th	CAINAN	987 - 325	662 years old
5th	MAHALALEEL	987 - 395	592 years old
6th	JARED	987 - 460	527 years old
7th	ENOCH	987 - 622	365 years old
8th	METHUSELAH	987 - 687	300 years old
9th	LAMECH	987 - 874	113 years old

God’s providence allowed only those who eye-witnessed Adam’s funeral to be also alive at the time of Enoch’s translation to heaven. Adam’s descendants could now pause to ponder the sad day of Adam’s death and comparing it with the joyous day of Enoch’s translation. Therefore, Enoch’s departure was a testimony of God’s faithfulness and of His promise of eternal life. Also remember, that Enoch prophesied about the coming of the Lord with great power and glory (Jude 1:14). Consequently, by taking Enoch alive to heaven, God was giving a powerful message that in like manner at the end of the world, on the final day of redemption, some will also be translated without having gone down to the grave (1 Thessalonians 4:17), when, “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed” (1 Corinthians 15:52).

Of those who witnessed Enoch’s translation to heaven, Methuselah and Lamech had the greatest responsibility to educate their son Noah in all matters of faith. They should now instruct and affirm him, showing him how the Lord had guided them in the past history, while encouraging him to walk steadfastly in the path of the Lord, keeping His commandments in future generations.

120 Years of Judgment for Antediluvians in 1536

“And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years… And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth. Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch” (Genesis 6:3, 13, 14).

Throughout history, God has revealed his plans to His honored servants the prophets concerning the destiny of this world. For a millennium God’s untiring mercy had been proclaimed. Now, a short time of probation extending mercy of 120 years to the antediluvians was announced to Noah. But the prophecy regarding the worldwide flood had been revealed a thousand years before to his great grandfather Enoch.

God’s revelation of His judgment for the antediluvians, a revelation that was given to Methuselah’s grandson Noah, was a relief balm for the faithful Methuselah who was eagerly awaiting the fulfillment of God’s prophecies. Thus, Methuselah who had learned from his father Enoch about God’s judgment had also known many centuries before that in the year of his death God would send the worldwide flood. But God revealed to Noah the period of judgment time for the antediluvian world exactly one hundred and twenty years before the flood. To Noah it was revealed that the remaining time of probation for the antediluvians was 120 years (Genesis 6:3). In that year 1536, the then 849 year old Methuselah also learned that he would reach the age of 969 years as he was to live through those hundred and twenty years of antediluvian investigative judgment, and he was a living testimony to the antediluvian world.

Enoch prophesied that God’s retributive judgment through a worldwide flood was coming, and in Noah’s day the time had finally come for the prophecy to be fulfilled. Although God’s judgment had been passed, God extended His mercy and prolonged such judgment for a hundred and twenty years. Such a time was but a short period of probation, thus the Holy Scriptures state:

“And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years” (Genesis 6:3).

Methuselah remained exactly 120 more years to contemplate God’s mercy and to help his grandson Noah build the ark while he continued preaching to the antediluvians about God’s extended mercy and exhorting them regarding their need of repentance as God was about to bring His retributive judgment. In His mercy God gave them 120 years of more fervent preaching for righteousness.

Methusalah, an old and wise man was honoured by God in that he saw God’s salvation, and he regained his strength by the preaching of his grandson Noah. And now by faith, they were building the instrument through which God would show His saving power. Like in New Testament times, to Simon, another old man, was revealed by the Holy Spirit that “he should not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ” (Luke 26). God had, in like manner, assured Methuselah that he should not die until he had seen God’s way of salvation for His faithful ones. Thus, the man who lived the longest in this earth’s history (Genesis 5:27), Methuselah, died in the year of the flood.

Methuselah Died in the Year of the Flood in 1656

The year when Methuselah died concurs with the year when God destroyed the world in the worldwide flood.

Methuselah’s name carried one of the mysteries of the kingdom of God. Enoch, his father, was shown in detail everything concerning the flood. Thus, with a passionate desire to warn his contemporaries of an impending destruction coming on the world, Enoch named his son Methuselah, meaning that at the time of this child’s death judgment will be sent. His name has been defined as “messenger of death” but that is far from the truth because Methuselah was a messenger of grace and hope; he warned his contemporaries about God’s judgment. His name was a compound word that contained a riddle. Its meaning was: “When he dies it shall be sent.” The word is a derivative of “muth” a root that means death, and shalach which means to send forth. The message was clear and overwhelming: that at the time of Methuselah’s death the flood would be sent. Therefore, Methuselah warned his contemporaries about the flood, even from his birth in the year 687, by his prophetic name until the year of his death in 1656 at the age of 969, in the very year of the flood.

 687 +   Year of Methuselah’s Birth
 969 =  Methuselah’s longevity (Genesis 5:27)
 1656   Methuselah died in this year, year of the flood

Amazingly enough Enoch’s prophecy was fulfilled in God’s time, Methuselah died in the very year of the flood. Methuselah earnestly pleaded with his extended families for their salvation, but the majority of his relatives rejected God’s judgment message. Only Noah, one of the many grand children of Methuselah was saved from the deluge. The Scriptures state that Methuselah had many more sons and daughters (Genesis 5:26), including his son Lamech; Noah’s father, had many more children (Genesis 5:30), but of those multitudes only Noah was found righteous (Genesis 7:1), and he alone was saved with his family. Noah’s brothers and sisters and his nephews and nieces rejected the warnings and perished in the waters of the flood.

Lamech’s death, happening in the year 1651, five years before the death of Methuselah his father, might have been an alarming occurrence, because it was an unusual thing that children should die before their parents. But it was providentially done that way, so that Methuselah’s death, after a five year gap, could be prominent, as he was the man of the prophecy. That legendary death would serve as a witness to the antediluvians that God’s prophecies are faithful and his judgments true. Therefore, it was doubly outstanding to see Methuselah’s long life of 969 years who also outlived his son Lamech.

Methuselah, another mighty man of faith had succumbed to the power of death. He had been taught by his father Enoch during those 300 years of interaction between father and son. Moreover Methuselah had known Adam for 243 years, he had interacted with the man through whom death was passed onto the rest of this world, yet, a man who was forgiven and saved by grace. From Adam, Methuselah had also learned to love the Redeemer of the world.

The Worldwide Flood in 1656

The world had rejected God’s grace and Heaven’s retributive judgment had finally come upon planet earth in the year 1656. The turbulent waters flooded in from two directions; from the windows of heaven, and also from the fountains of the great deep (Genesis 7:11). One single family remained faithful to God in the whole earth. One family condemned the world by their faithfulness:

“And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation. For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth” (Genesis 7:1, 4).

A week of prayer inside the ark, was now due for Noah and his family. He knew that they would have to wait for one whole week in the ark before the Word of God should be fulfilled (Genesis 7:4). He was six hundred years old when God commanded them to enter the ark (Genesis 7:1, 6). Little did he know that the overall time for them to remain onboard their temporal floating home would be one year and seven days until they should set foot on dry and solid land.

Noah’s faith was greatly honoured, as on the day of his birthday God saved his life and the lives of his family. He was experiencing his 600th birthday when the flood hit the world in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month (Genesis 7:11). The Word clarifies it plainly that it was the same day; thus it was on the 17th/02/1656.

 

Please note that the following is not the conclusion of the webmaster. Please read this important note.

Baby Arphaxad Born inside Noah’s Ark in 1656

Four married couples; three of them in childbearing age, entered the three story ark (Genesis 6:16). Noah, the father of Shem, was 600 years old when God destroyed the world with a flood (Genesis 7:6). Noah’s grandson Arphaxad was born during that very year of the flood in 1656, when Shem, Arphaxad’s father, was 100 years old (Genesis 11:10).

Baby Arphaxad was born inside the ark. How can we be certain about this? Well, if Noah was 500 years old when he begot Shem (Genesis 5:32) and it was Noah’s 600th year of his birth, when the flood came (Genesis 7:11), which was the very year when Shem was 100 years old and that he begot Arphaxad (Genesis 5:32), then, there is no doubt that the baby Arphaxad was born before they received God’s command to disembark the ark.

Now Peter explains that in the days of Noah, “few, that is, eight souls were saved by water” (1 Peter 3:20). However, Peter does not eliminate the possibility for a baby in arms to come out of the ark. He explains clearly that those eight souls were saved “while the ark was a preparing” (1 Peter 3:20) That is, they were the only ones saved from among the many peoples. If a baby or babies were born inside the ark, they were not saved from among the people who perished in the deluge. You may say: Oh, but the Scriptures tell us that only eight people entered the ark (Genesis 7:13), yes it is true! However, it does not tell us how many people came out of it. It only tells us that Arphaxad was begotten when his father, who was inside the ark, was 100 years old, that is, in the year of the flood.

Therefore, the baby Arphaxad, even though he was carried in arms out of the ark by his parents, was not saved from the waters; he was born in the ark after the heavy flood rain was poured down, when his parents were safely out of danger. And because it takes nine months to be born, and the baby was begotten inside the ark, they had plenty of time to wait for his birth. Remember that they spent one whole year inside the ark; from 1656 -1657; they exited the ark on the 27th day of the second month when Noah was 601 years old (Genesis 8:13-14).

Of the flood year only 40 days were the most trying ones (Genesis 7:17). The rest of the time they spent just waiting for the ark to rest on dried land. And it rested on Mount Ararat five months after they entered the ark, when the waters had receded (Genesis 8:4). And even after the ark had been stationed on solid ground, they had to wait another seven months inside the ark until they were finally allowed to set foot on that solid ground (Genesis 8:13-14). To be exact, the time inside the ark was one year and ten days; thus from the 17th/02/1656 until the 27th/02/1657 (Genesis 8:14-16).

The Tower of Babel

Some years after the flood, the whole world still enjoyed the communication through a common tongue, as the Scripture reveals: “the whole earth was of one language and of one speech” (Genesis 11:1). But rebellion against God resurged; this time, the world rebelled against God because the whole earth had been destroyed with a worldwide flood. Therefore, journeying from the east, they found a valley in the land of Shinar (Genesis 11:2) where they convened with the great multitudes to build a city and a tower whose top might reach to heaven (Genesis 11:4). Their plans were designed but they needed to have a ruler to govern them, so they decided to follow the leadership of the earth’s first monarch, Nimrod, the son of Cush who “began to be a mighty one in the earth” (Genesis 10:8). Nimrod’s kingdom was established in the city of Babel in the land of Shinar (Genesis 10:10).

This Nimrod was the grandson of Ham (Genesis 10:1, 6, 8), and Ham was Noah’s youngest son who was cursed by his father when Ham saw Noah’s nakedness and made mockery of the matter (Genesis 9:22, 25). Nimrod also was Noah’s great-grandson, but he encouraged the multitudes to build a tower in total defiance against God. They were scheming against God and defied God’s ruling, so they agreed: “let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth” (Genesis 11:4). Nonetheless, the very thing that they were shunning, the Lord brought upon them “because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth” (Genesis 11:9).

Chart of the Number of Years that Noah Knew his Ancestors

Patriarch’s Genealogical Position	Patriarchs	Year of Death of his Ancestors minus year of Noah’s birth: 1056	Number of Years Noah knew his Ancestors
3rd	ENOS	1140 – 1056	84 years
4th	CAINAN	1235 – 1056	179 years
5th	MAHALALEEL	1290 – 1056	234 years
6th	JARED	1422 – 1056	366 years
7th	ENOCH	987	-
8th	METHUSELAH	1656 – 1056	600 years
9th	LAMECH	1651 – 1056	595 years

In His great wisdom, God prepared a very convenient generation for Noah to be born. It was the right genealogical position for him to receive all the knowledge and wisdom from his ancestors’ powerful minds; that is, from the third generation onward, remember that he knew his ancestor Enos for 84 years. Thus, Noah attained the wisdom from the past generations and reached down to the future generations, passing the knowledge of God on to his descendants even to the twentieth generation, as he knew his descendant Abraham for 60 years. By interacting with his ancestors, back to seven generations, Noah was the depositary of the teachings of those who were close to Adam: that is, Enos, Cainan, Mahalaleel, Jared, Methuselah and Lamech. You see, in the chart above, that Noah knew his ancestors for quite a long time because those were almost millenarian people. However, he did not know his ancestor Enoch of the seventh generation because the Lord took him to heaven at the young age of 365 years, exactly sixty nine years before Noah’s birth. Nonetheless, he received the abundant wisdom of his grandfather Methuselah, of the eighth generation, with whom he interacted for the period of 600 years, from the time when this man was 369 years old until his death at the age of 969. Lastly, he was instructed in the path of the Lord by his own father Lamech of the ninth generation from whom he received instruction for a period of 595 years. Notice that Noah interacted with his grandfather Methuselah for a longer period of time than with his father Lamech because Methuselah outlived Lamech by five years, as Lamech died five years before the flood.

Chart of the Number of Years that Noah Knew his Descendants

Patriarch’s Genealogical Position	Patriarch	Patriarch’s Age at Noah’s Death	Noah’s Death in 2006 minus his Descendants’ Birth-year	Years Noah knew his Descendants
10th	NOAH	950	2006 – 1056	His life
11th	SHEM	450	2006 – 1556	450 years
12th	ARPHAXAD	350	2006 – 1656	350 years
13th	SALAH	315	2006 – 1691	315 years
14th	EBER	285	2006 – 1721	285 years
15th	PELEG	251	2006 – 1755	251 years
16th	REU	221	2006 – 1785	221 years
17th	SERUG	189	2006 – 1817	189 years
18th	NAHOR	159	2006 – 1847	159 years
19th	TERAH	130	2006 – 1876	130 years
20th	ABRAHAM	60	2006 – 1946	60 years

Noah’s Funeral in 2006

Once again the shadows of death had overpowered the life of a beloved child of God, when in the year 2006 the righteous Noah died at the age of 950 years. There, in his tomb, were laid down the mortal remains of a great prophet whose hope in God’s redemption did not fade away. Noah descended to the grave with the hope that the Redeemer of the world would come and liberate him from the power of death. There laid a faithful man, who for almost a millennium had strived for the salvation of others. Now the final chapter of his life in this world had come to an end. He had witnessed the depravity and wickedness of the thousands of rebellious people who had been endowed with a free will and had chosen to fall into the traps of Satan. Humanity’s abhorrence of God’s righteousness had sunken Noah’s world into a horrendous state of worldwide lawlessness, as it is written of the kind of man that lived in every home, as “every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5). But Noah was a different kind of man! Had we preserved Noah’s tomb, on his epitaph would be written as it is in the Word of God: “Noah walked with God” (Genesis 6:9).

Noah’s funeral could easily have been attended by all of his extended relatives that were alive on the day of his death. God would not have confused the language of his faithful children of the lineage of God’s people as on the occasion when God confused the language of the different races at the tower of Babel. Therefore, Noah’s funeral service was solemnly held in the language of the children of God and it was attended by his 450 year old son Shem of the eleventh generation, his 350 year old grandson Arphaxad of the twelfth generation, his 315 year old great grandson Salah of the thirteenth generation, his 285 year old great-great-grand son Eber of the fourteenth generation, his 251 year old descendant Peleg of the fifteenth generation, his 221 year old descendant Reu of the sixteenth generation, his 189 year old descendant Serug of the seventeenth generation, his 159 year old descendant Nahor of the eighteenth generation, his 130 year old descendant Terah of the nineteenth generation, and his 60 year old descendant Abraham of the twentieth generation.

First Hand Knowledge of God

Heaven’s story of redemption was first communicated by God to Adam. That holy man of God transmitted Heaven’s message onto his descendants and it was first hand; that is, secondary source knowledge in the heart of Abraham. It was the Patriarch Noah who served as the bridge that grasped such first hand knowledge from the early patriarchs, and passed it onto his descendants, even unto Abraham. Remember that Noah had known every one of his ancestors from Enos reaching to his descendants until Abraham.

Although Noah did not meet in person his ancestor Adam, Methuselah, the grandfather of Noah, did. Methuselah interacted with Adam for the span of 243 years and Noah interacted with his grandfather Methuselah for the span of 600 years. Also remember that Lamech, the father of Noah, had known Adam for a span of 56 years, and interacted with his son Noah for a span of 595 years. Therefore, Noah had received such precious knowledge from the very primary sources and passed it on to his descendant Abraham with whom he interacted for the span of 60 years.

Therefore, the faithful accounts of the book of Genesis were verbally communicated by the very primary sources; those patriarchs who lived long lives and were almost millennial people. For that reason, the Word of God account is certainly first-hand knowledge for us who acknowledge the birth of Israel as an offspring of Abraham, who was a secondary source recipient of that precious knowledge of the story of redemption. Therefore, the historical facts about creation, the Garden of Eden, Adam’s fall, the worldwide flood and the story of redemption were almost first hand in the heart of Abraham who had known Noah, whose father and grandfather had received such fresh knowledge from Adam himself.

Chart of the Number of Years that Abraham Knew his Ancestors

Genealogical Position	Patriarchs	Year of death of ancestors minus year of birth of Abraham in 1946	Number of years Abraham knew his Ancestors	Number of years Ancestors survived Abraham
10th	NOAH	2006 - 1946	60 years
11th	SHEM	2156 - 1946	210 years	Shem outlived him by 35 years.
12th	ARPHAXAD	2094 - 1946	148 years
13th	SALAH	2124 - 1946	178 years	Salah outlived him by 3 years
14th	EBER	2185 - 1946	239 years	Eber outlived him by 64 years
15th	PELEG	1994 - 1946	48 years
16th	REU	2024 - 1946	78 years
17th	SERUG	2047 - 1946	101 years
18th	NAHOR	1995 - 1946	49 years
19th	TERAH	2081 - 1946	135 years
20th	ABRAHAM	2121 - 1946	175 years	His life

Noah was alive when his great-grandson Nimrod and some of his descendants began building the tower of Babel. Now, Abraham knew his ancestor Noah for the span of 60 years. Therefore, Abraham was alive to know about Nimrod and the tower of Babel because he interacted with all his ancestors even from their father Noah. Some of his ancestors were contemporaries of Nimrod; for instance, Abraham knew his ancestor Salah all the years of Abraham’s life. This Salah belonged to the same generation of his cousin Nimrod. Therefore, Nimrod was also alive but scattered and with a new tongue, somewhere in some distant land all the days of Abraham’s life.

Because the generation of Salah still enjoyed a long life, past the 400 years range, Abraham knew about the tower of Babel from the mouth of eyewitnesses. Abraham’s ancestry of Shem’s lineal blood was also scattered after the confusion of their tongues in the valley of Shinar at the construction of the tower of Babel and they settled down in Mesopotamia in Ur of the Chaldeans, which was a settlement of the Semites: the descendants of Shem who spoke the Aramaic language. But the Semites were receding into idolatry, therefore, God called Abraham out of Ur to Canaan. Shem was an eyewitness of the flood and his descendants were the eyewitnesses of the tower of Babel and God’s intervention in the confusion of tongues. From them Abraham also learned about God’s intervention in the affairs of this world.

Abraham not only knew Noah for over half a century, but he also knew Shem all the days of Abraham’s life, he knew him for 175 years. Bear in mind that Shem outlived his descendant Abraham by 35 years. Abraham also knew his ancestor Arphaxad of the 12th generation for a span of 148 years. Abraham also knew his ancestor Salah of the 13th generation all the years of his life because Salah outlived Abraham by three years. The 13th generation from Adam to Nimrod (Salah’s cousin) was the generation that built the infamous tower of Babel with Nimrod as their leader. He knew his ancestor Eber of the 14th generation all the years of Abraham’s life, as Eber outlived Abraham by 64 years. He also knew his ancestor Peleg for a span of 48 years. Abraham knew his great-great-grandfather Reu for a span of 78 years and his great-grandfather Serug for a span of 101 years. He knew his grandfather Nahor for a span of 49 years and he knew his father Terah for a span of 135 years.

Chart of the Age of Abraham’s Ancestors when Abraham Emigrated from Haran to Canaan

Patriarch’s Genealogical Position	Patriarch	Year when Abraham migrated 2021 minus Patriarchs’ birth-year	Ancestor’s Age in the year Abraham Migrated to Canaan
11th	SHEM	2021 - 1556	465
12th	ARPHAXAD	2021 - 1656	365
13th	SALAH	2021 - 1691	330
14th	EBER	2021 - 1721	300
17th	SERUG	2021 - 1817	204
19th	TERAH	2021 - 1876	145
20th	ABRAHAM	2021 - 1946	75

Mount Ararat located in the east of Turkey is where the ark rested after the flood. From there, the descendants of Noah traveled toward the southeast until they reached the valley of Shinar where they began the construction of the tower of Babel and later built the city of Babylon in what is present-day Iraq. Traveling further south, towards what is present-day south Iraq was situated Ur of the Chaldeans; the place where the Semites had settled down and from where Abraham was called to immigrate to the land of Canaan. That whole region is called Mesopotamia because it is in the middle of two rivers; the Euphrates spoken of in Genesis and the Tigris which both rise from the east of Turkey and flow into Iraq and the Persian Gulf.

Terah’s youngest son Haran, the brother of Abraham, died in the land of his birth; that is, in Ur of the Chaldeans (Genesis 11:28). Bereaved of his son, Terah took his son Abraham and the orphan Lot, his grandson (Genesis 11:31), who were also born in Ur of the Chaldeans, so they started their migration and headed northward until they reached a place called Haran; present-day Syria. But Terah decided to dwell in Haran where he finally died at a good old age of 205 years (Genesis 11:31-32). Abraham was 135 years of age when his father Terah died in the land of Haran. Nonetheless, when Abraham was 75 years of age (Genesis 12:4) and his father Terah was 145 years old, God commanded Abraham to emigrate from Haran towards Canaan, leaving his country, his kindred and his father’s house (Genesis 12:1).

Abraham Migrates Towards Hebron in 2021

Abraham settled down in Mamre, Hebron (Genesis 13:18), which was located in the midst of Canaan (Genesis14:14-15). The year was 2021 when Abraham settled down in Hebron at the age of 75, his ancestor Shem was 465 years old, his ancestor Arphaxad was 365 years of age and his ancestor Salah was 330 years old, while his ancestor Eber was 300 years of age, his great-grandfather Serug was 204 years old and his father Terah was 145 years of age. Therefore, all those dignitaries of Abraham’s ancestry, among whom the son, grandson and great-great-grand son of Noah outlived the father of faith, were aware of God’s command for Abraham to emigrate.

While in Canaan, in that same year 2021 God revealed to Abraham His prophecy pertaining to the birth of Israel as a nation and promised him as an inheritance for his seed all that his eyes could behold north, south, east and west from his standing point (Genesis 13:14). However Abraham argued with the Lord, questioning His promise, alleging that his steward Eleazar’s son would be his heir (Genesis 15:2,3). God reaffirmed him that his servant would not be the heir but his own begotten son (Genesis 15:4).

In that same year 2021 Abraham traveled further south from Canaan toward Egypt by reason of a great famine (Genesis 12:10). While in Egypt Abraham covered his true relationship with his wife Sarah and Pharaoh took Sarah to his palace (Genesis 12:15), and God plagued Pharaoh with great plagues because of Sarah (Genesis 12:17). So Abraham was deported from Egypt with all his people (Genesis 12:20).

Abraham’s Prophecy of the Nation of Israel in 2021

After Abraham’s deportation from Egypt, as he had settled down in Canaan in the year 2021, God showed him a vision (Genesis 15:1) in which the prophecy regarding his seed was given. The prophecy was spoken differently to its actual fulfillment centuries later. So God revealed to the 75 year old prophet the future of Israel; a nation from Abraham’s bosom. The prophecy foretold Israel’s sacred history in its beginnings and how the Israelites were to spend time in a foreign land where they would serve in slavery the last years of their stay. But the prophecy is worded as follows:

“And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years” (Genesis 15:13).

The prophecy stipulated a shorter period but in the end the Israelites’ stay in Egypt was lengthened by thirty years (Exodus 12:40). As for the lengthening of such prophetic period, the prophecy and its chronological fulfillment cannot by any means be shortened or analyzed in any other way than as it happened, or else the whole biblical chronology would be jeopardized and its prophecies spoiled. If the full period were shortened by 30 years, as it was worded in Genesis, then the prophecies regarding the coming of our Redeemer would not fall in the right chronological year, and therefore Daniel’s prophecy pertaining to the end of the 2300 year period for the cleansing of the Heavenly Sanctuary (Daniel 8:14) would not fall in its exact date. Therefore, dire consequences would result, should we decide to reject God’s sacred history as it happened; the whole plan of salvation would be misunderstood. Had the chronology been altered nobody would have been expecting the birth of the Messiah on the rightful date that it was prophesied. The judgment which has begun in the Most Holy Place in the Heavenly Sanctuary, where our Redeemer intercedes for us, would not have been understood to fall on the right date. Fortunately the Word of God gives ample evidence that the prophecy regarding Israel’s sojourn in Egypt was fulfilled when the Israelites had remained in that land exactly 430 years (Exodus 12:40):

“Now the sojourning of the children of Israel, who dwelt in Egypt, was four hundred and thirty years” (Exodus 12: 40.

How God Protected the Prophecies

When in the past, God revealed great prophecies He sometimes safeguarded the message in a form that Satan, who has been kept ignorant regarding God’s proceedings, would not understand and therefore would not thwart God’s plan of salvation. Therefore, when Abram received his prophecy, it was worded in a way that even he himself did not understand all the details of it. He had not begotten Isaac, he did not know about Jacob and his twelve tribes; he did not know that it was going to be Egypt the place where his descendants would be enslaved.

The fact that Abraham was not told the name of the enslavers supports the notion that God was safeguarding His plan of salvation. The text only reveals that Abraham’s “seed shall be a stranger” and it states it in the singular form; so not to give it away for the enemy. Therefore, God mentioned “thy seed” instead of saying your people. Consider the fact that from Adam’s time all patriarchs had been expecting the fulfillment of the prophecy of Genesis 3:15 about the Saviour “The Seed”. Consequently, God revealed accurate chronological facts to Abraham so that Biblical prophecies would be protected against God’s enemies who would try to eradicate God’s precious truth regarding the plan of salvation.

God who inspired Moses to write down the wording of the prophecy spoken to Patriarch Abraham is very careful to employ accurate words to also write down the exact span of time that Israel spent in Egypt. Therefore, Moses emphasizes the importance of knowing exact dates in order for chronological events and prophecies to be fulfilled in their due and appointed time.

Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah in 2045

In the year 2031, when Abraham was 85 years of age as they had settled down in Canaan, Sarah wavered in her faith and encouraged Abraham to sleep with Hagar her Egyptian maid in order for them to have a son. From that union between Abraham and Hagar, Ishmael was born the following year in 2032 when Abraham was 86 years of age (Genesis 16:3, 16).

Thirteen years later, in the year 2045, Abraham received the good news that Sarah his wife will give birth to their wedlock’s only son Isaac. Abraham was 99 years of age and his son Ishmael was 13 years old when Isaac was born and both father and son were circumcised then. (Genesis 17:24-25). “In the selfsame day was Abraham circumcised, and Ishmael his son” (Genesis 17:26).

In that same year 2045 when Abraham was 99 years of age, Almighty God appeared to him (Genesis 17:1). In the plains of Mamre the Lord also revealed to Abraham that his wife Sarah was going to have a son (Genesis 18:1, 10). Then the Lord told Abraham about His judgment upon Sodom and Gomorrah and the impending destruction because of the cities’ wickedness, He said:

“…Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous; I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know” (Genesis 18:20-21).

Sodom and Gomorrah were located among beautiful rivers, the land was “well watered everywhere; so splendid was its natural view that it is described “even as the garden of the Lord” (Genesis 13:10). “But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the Lord exceedingly” (Genesis 13:13). On that evening of 2045 after the Lord had visited Abraham two angels came to save Lot from Sodom (Genesis 19:1) and they accepted Lot’s invitation to lodge at his house that night. But after dinner when they were ready to lay down to sleep the men of Sodom surrounded Lot’s house with the intention to sodomize the two angels, who in the eyes of the perverse males of Sodom, were just two men (Genesis 19:4-5). The angels struck those perverts with blindness (Genesis 19:11); but those men together with the rest of the cities were reserved for utter destruction in their unexpected and retributive punishment at daybreak.

Little did they know that judgment had already been passed and that impending destruction was coming their way at sunrise the next day; neither did they know that Abraham had been interceding for them on the noon of the day before but that there had not been found even ten righteous people in those cities for which the Lord would have spared them from destruction (Genesis 18:32). So faithless were Sodom’s inhabitants that not even Lot’s daughters, who were married with their families, believed the anguished pleadings of Lot to obey God and abandon the city for their own salvation (Genesis 19:14).

After a sleepless night, trying to convince his family that two angels of God had come to destroy the city (Genesis 19:13), Lot was taken out of Sodom at sunrise, and as soon as he was out of danger with his two unmarried daughters and wife “the Lord rained upon Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven” (Genesis 19:24).

Abraham’s Funeral in Ephron in the year 2121

In the year 2121 at the age of 175 (Genesis 25:7) Abraham died and although he was born in Ur (South Iraq), he was buried in Hebron (Israel) in the field of Ephron, by his sons Isaac and Ishmael (Genesis 25:9). Ishmael, whose mother was an Egyptian (Genesis 16:1), had come to the funeral from his kindred in Egypt. This Ishmael who had come to mourn his father was sent away at an early age by Abraham and “dwelt in the wilderness of Paran: and his mother took him a wife out of the land of Egypt (Genesis 21:21). It was in the wilderness of Paran where Ishmael started his family. Ishmael is still remembered in Egypt, and one of the country’s provinces bears his name Ismailia. Also in that province the city of Naphish is called after the name of Ishmael’s son Naphish (Genesis 25:15). Just like the Word of God says, the towns in that province were called after the names of Ishmael’s sons (Genesis 25:16).

Abraham the father of faith was the bridge that grasped so vast a knowledge of the plan of salvation from his ancestors and passed it on to his descendants, even onto Israel the depositary of the oracles of God. He had known the Patriarch Noah for the last 60 years of life of the man who built the ark. Thus, Abraham, who was 60 years of age, might as well have been present at the funeral of Noah. The burial of Noah took place somewhere in the Semitic region. Mesopotamia was the Semite route; that is, it was the region where the descendants of Shem had spread. It was in that region where Abraham had interactions with all his ancestors from whom he was encouraged to uphold the faith of God’s seed. Abraham had relatives in Ur, from where he traveled northward, and tracing the route of his Semitic ancestry he arrived with his father Terah in Haran. In Haran he remained for a time where he had the opportunity to visit and interact with many of his ancestors while he also acquired much wealth and servants (Genesis 12:5). But at the age of seventy five he was commanded by God to emigrate away from his country, his kindred (ancestors) and his father’s house (Genesis 12:1).

That country spoken of as Abraham’s father’s house from where Abraham emigrated was Syria, the region was called Padanaram and the city was called Haran. Abraham’s son Isaac married Rebekah, the Syrian of Padanaram (Genesis 25:20), the grand-daughter of Nahor (Genesis 22:20-23). It was also Syria to which Jacob fled from the fury of his brother Esau - from Beersheba, the city of Abraham (Genesis 22:19), to Haran (Genesis 28:10) the city of the children of Nahor. It was in Syria where Jacob married the Syrian Rachel, the great-grand-daughter of Nahor. You see how Jacob was the son of a Syrian woman and the husband of a Syrian woman. No wonder God commands Israel to acknowledge their Syrian roots:

“And thou shalt speak and say before the LORD thy God, A Syrian ready to perish was my father, and he went down into Egypt, and sojourned there with a few, and became there a nation, great, mighty, and populous” (Deuteronomy 26:5).

Chronologies of the Mysteries of God - Page 2