Dating the Time of the Creation of Man

DATING THE TIME OF THE CREATION OF MAN

FROM SOLOMON BACK TO ABRAHAM

According to the most recent refinements King Solomon ascended to the throne of Israel in 971 BC.

1 Kings 6:1 tells us that the 4^th year of Solomon's reign (967 BC) when he began to build the Temple of God was exactly 480 years after the Exodus.

The date of the Exodus therefore is 1447 BC.

Exodus 12:40 tells us the following, "Now the sojourning of the children of Israel, who dwelt in Egypt, was four hundred and thirty years." The period of 430 years was not the amount of time that they were in Egypt. This is confirmed by Josephus as well as other sources. Josephus tells us, "They left Egypt in the month Xanthicus, on the fifteenth day of the lunar month; four hundred and thirty years after our forefather Abraham came into Canaan, but two hundred and fifteen years only after Jacob removed into Egypt."

The apostle Paul in Galatians 3:16-17 tells us, "Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made...And this I say, that the law which was four hundred and thirty years later, cannot annul the covenant that was confirmed before God in Christ". This 430 year period is obviously the same period as the 430 year sojourning of the children of Israel mentioned in Exodus 12:40 as the law was given in the same year that the Exodus occurred. The Greek translation of the Old Testament(the Septuagint) makes this clear in its translation of Exodus 12:40 which says, "The sojourning of the children and of their fathers, which they sojourned in the land of Canaan and in the land of Egypt was four hundred and thirty years."

When in Abraham's life were the promises by God made that were made exactly 430 years before the Exodus? Josephus and the Septuagint in the above quotes strongly imply it was at the same time that Abraham moved from Haran and began sojourning in the land of Canaan. This is indeed the case. God made promises to Abraham when he was 75 years old at the time he left Haran for Canaan (Genesis 12:1-5). We will reconfirm that this was when the 430 year period began with cross-referencing of other Genesis data a little further on. We will also show that it didn't begin when God reconfirmed the promises to Abraham when he was 99 years old (Genesis 17) or some 10 to 20 years later when Abraham was willing to sacrifice his son Isaac (Genesis 22).

Jacob moved to Egypt when he was 130 years old (Genesis 47:9) and since this was 215 years before the Exodus occurred this event can be dated to the year 1662 BC.

Genesis doesn't specifically tell us how old Jacob was when he begot Joseph but Genesis does give us enough to confirm Joseph was 39 years old when Jacob moved to Egypt when he was 130 years old. Genesis 41:46 tells us Joseph was 30 when he ascended to his high position under pharaoh. This was also when the 7 years of plenty began. Jacob moved to Egypt during the 2^nd year of famine (Genesis 45:6) or 9 years after Joseph ascended to his high position under pharaoh. Since Joseph was 39 years old when Jacob was 130 years old we know that Jacob was 91 years old when he begot Joseph. Since Joseph was 39 years old when Jacob moved to Egypt (1662 BC) then Joseph was born in the year 1701 BC.

Since Jacob was 91 years old when he begot Joseph, Jacob was born in the year 1792 BC.

Isaac was 60 years old when he begot Jacob (Genesis 25:26) so Isaac was born in the year 1852 BC.

Abraham was 100 years old when he begot Isaac (Genesis 21:5) so Abraham was born in the year 1952 BC.

The year that Abraham was 75 years old would therefore have been 1877 BC. This year is precisely 430 years before the Exodus which occurred in 1447 BC. That confirms that the occasion when the promises were made that Paul was referring to in Galatians 4:16-17 was the time Abraham left Haran for Canaan in Genesis 12. There is a striking parallel between Abraham coming out of Ur on the first day of Unleavened Bread and when Israel came out of Egypt 430 years later to the day as both represent us coming out of the world and out of sin.

THE EARLY POST-FLOOD PATRIARCHS

With a date of 1952 BC established for the birth of Abraham we can now work backwards to date the birth years of the earlier patriarchs, the time of the Flood and confirm exactly when Adam was created by God.

The Flood - 2305 to 2304 BC

Name	Born	Lived to	Died	Age when and the son he begat	Years after the Flood son born	When son born
Shem	2402 BC	600	1802 BC	100 when he begot Arphaxad	2	2302 BC
Arphaxad	2302 BC	438	1864 BC	35 when he begot Salah	37	2267 BC
Salah	2267 BC	433	1834 BC	30 when he begot Eber	67	2237 BC
Eber	2237 BC	464	1773 BC	34 when he begot Peleg	101	2203 BC
Peleg	2203 BC	239	1964 BC	30 when he begot Reu	131	2173 BC
Reu	2173 BC	239	1934 BC	32 when he begot Serug	163	2141 BC
Serug	2141 BC	230	1911 BC	30 when he begot Nahor	193	2111 BC
Nahor	2111 BC	148	1963 BC	29 when he begot Terah	222	2082 BC
Terah	2082 BC	205	1877 BC	130 when he begot Abraham	352	1952 BC
Abraham	1952 BC	175	1777 BC	100 when he begot Isaac	452	1852 BC
Isaac	1852 BC	180	1752 BC	60 when he begot Jacob	512	1792 BC
Jacob	1792 BC	147	1645 BC	91 when he begot Joseph	603	1701 BC
Joseph	1701 BC	110	1591 BC	Joseph died 64 years before Moses was born and 144 years before the Exodus
Moses	1527 BC	120	1407 BC
Joshua	1500 BC	110	1390 BC	He died 17 years after the Israelites entered the land of Canaan

Genesis 11:26 tells us that "Terah lived 70 years and begot Abraham, Nahor and Haran." I have noted above that Terah was 130 years old when he begot Abraham. This apparent contradiction is easily explained. Terah lived to the ripe old age of 205 (Genesis 11:32). Acts 7:4 tells us that Abraham moved from Haran to Canaan at the time that Terah died. Since Abraham was 75 at that time and Terah died at age 205, that means that Terah had to have been 130 years old when he begot Abraham. If Terah begot Abraham at age 70 then Abraham would have been 135 years old when he left for Canaan and this was not so. It was one or both of Abraham's brothers, Nahor and Haran, that Terah begot at age 70.

We are told in Genesis 10:25 that Peleg was so named because "in his days the earth was divided". Despite other alternatives this division of the earth most likely is a reference to the confusing of the languages and the scattering of the nations after the Tower of Babel was destroyed. Since Peleg was born in 2203 BC, a mere 101 years after the Flood, it seems unlikely that this name was given to him at his birth. Many people took on new names later on in life or they had their name changed such as God changing Abram's name to Abraham. The Tower of Babel was built and destroyed in Peleg's lifetime between 2203 and 1964 BC and most likely around half-way into his lifetime (c. 2100 BC).

Abraham was 150 and Isaac was 50 years old when Noah's righteous son, Shem, died at the ripe old age of 600. Noah died only 2 years before Abraham was born.

THE PRE FLOOD PATRIARCHS

God created Adam - 3960 BC

Name	Born	Lived to	Died	Age when and the Son he begat	Years after Adam created son born	When son born
Adam	3960 BC	930	3030 BC	130 when he begot Seth	130	3830 BC
Seth	3830 BC	912	2918 BC	105 when he begot Enosh	235	3725 BC
Enosh	3725 BC	905	2820 BC	90 when he begot Cainan	325	3635 BC
Cainan	3635 BC	910	2725 BC	70 when he begot Mahaleel	395	3565 BC
Mahaleel	3565 BC	895	2670 BC	65 when he begot Jared	460	3500 BC
Jared	3500 BC	962	2538 BC	162 when he begot Enoch	622	3338 BC
Enoch	3338 BC	365	2973 BC	65 when he begot Methuselah	687	3273 BC
Methuselah	3273 BC	969	2305 BC	187 when he begot Lamech	874	3086 BC
Lamech	3086 BC	777	2309 BC	182 when he begot Noah	1056	2904 BC
Noah	2904 BC	950	1954 BC	502 when he begot Shem	1558	2406 BC

THE FLOOD OCCURRED FROM 2305 TO 2304 BC WHEN NOAH WAS 600 YEARS OLD AND 1656 YEARS AFTER GOD CREATED ADAM.

Methuselah died in the year 2305 BC and it seems obvious that the oldest man recorded in the Bible(969 years old) and grandfather of Noah died in the Flood. His father, Lamech died four years earlier.

IF ADAM WAS CREATED IN THE YEAR 3960 BC THAT MEANS THAT THE YEAR 2041 WILL PROBABLY BE WHEN MANKIND CLOCKS UP 6000 YEARS OF HUMAN HISTORY!!! (Note: the year 1 BC was followed by the year 1 AD.)

Theoretically, this is the latest date for when Christ will return to set up the Kingdom of God on earth. Matthew 24:22 says that God will cut short the days of the Great Tribulation and possibly the 6000 years allotted to mankind and for Satan to deceive mankind also. This seems a likely scenario as this may explain why Satan is loosened for a little while after the millennium (Revelation 20:3).

If God were to cut the 6000 years short by around 20 years this could mean Satan may have a good 20 years to stir up Gog and Magog to war against Israel while Christ is ruling there rather than a year or two as many of us may think he might have.

How much of that 40 years will God cut it short by is anybody's guess. We'll wait and see as we wish for God's kingdom to come as soon as possible.