A Timeline of Noah's Flood

The Genesis account of Noah's Flood gives dates for some events and timelines for others. If you take the time to reconcile all of these figures, you can learn some important things about how the Bible is structured and how it treats the passage of time.

Event	Reference	Text Date/Time Lapse	Calendar Date
Enters Ark	Genesis 7:1-10	10th of Second	10 Cheshvan or 10 Iyyar
Rains begin	Genesis 7:11	17th of Second	17 Cheshvan or 17 Iyyar
Rains stop	Genesis 7:17	40 days	~29 Kislev or 29 Sivan
Waters began to abate	Genesis 7:24, 8:03	150 days	~17 Nisan or 17 Tishrei
Ark on Ararat	Genesis 8:04	17th of Seventh	17 Nisan or 17 Tishrei
Mountain tops seen	Genesis 8:05	1st of Tenth	1 Tammuz or 1 Tevet
Raven sent	Genesis 8:6-7	40 days	~10 Av or 10 Shevat
Dove sent/returns	Genesis 8:8-9	0 days
Dove sent/leaf	Genesis 8:10-11	7 days	~17 Av or 17 Shevat
Dove sent/no return	Genesis 8:12	7 days	~24 Av or 24 Shevat
Waters dried	Genesis 8:13	1st of First	1 Tishrei or 1 Nisan
Earth dried	Genesis 8:14	27th of Second	27 Cheshvan or 27 Iyyar

Some observations from this data:

A lunar month is 28-29 days, depending on the relative positions of the earth, the moon, and the sun. This means that the only way for the dates in the text to work is if the 40 days of rain in 7:17 are included in the 150 days of the water prevailing in 7:24, ending in the last half of the month of Nisan (or Tishrei if the "first month" is meant to refer to Nisan instead of Tishrei). 

The dates of some events have to be approximated for two reasons.

First, since a lunar month is only 28-29 days, it is impossible to get 150 days between the 17th day of the Second month (Cheshvan) and the 17th day of the Seventh month (Nisan). That would be 145-147 days. Then from the 17th of Nisan to the 1st of Tishrei is actually about 157-160 days. The two periods combined are close to the specified 300 days, but the text actually says that each period was 150 days. Clearly the author was rounding the numbers to a neat 150 and didn't mean for them to be understood as mathematically exact.

Second, counts of days are frequently rounded in Scripture. "Forty days" is rarely meant to be a literal and exact 40 days, but some period of time greater than one month and less than two. In English today we might say "several weeks" or "a month and a half" to mean the same thing, when we almost never have an exact count of days in mind. 

Whether the flood began in the month of Cheshvan or in the month of Iyyar depends on what is meant by the "first month", "seventh month", etc. When Genesis was first written, the Jewish people hadn't yet adopted the Babylonian names for the months, so they were only numbered. The Babylonians and Israelites both had two primary new years days, 1 Nisan and 1 Tishrei, for counting different annual cycles. However, in Exodus 12:2, God told Israel that they must begin counting Nisan as the first month of the year. This implies that they weren't doing so before and 1 Tishrei had been the primary new years day up until the Exodus from Egypt. Therefore, I prefer the traditional reconning of the start and end of the Flood in the Fall rather than the Spring.

The waters drying from the face of the earth on the first day of Tishrei, also known as the Feast of Trumpets or Yom Teruah, is appropriate, because that day announces the coming day of liberation and restoration on Yom Kippur, the tenth day of Tishrei.

Each Moed on Its Proper Day

I believe that every follower of Yeshua (aka Jesus) should be keeping God's appointed times. Passover, Shavuot, Yom Teruah, Yom Kippur, etc. I believe that doing so honors God and teaches valuable lessons.

I also believe it's important that we try to do it the way God said to as much as possible, including the timing. Of course, very few people can go to Jerusalem, and there's no altar or priesthood, so there's a lot we can't do, but we can keep the spirit of the Feasts.

We have a pretty good idea of the correct timing, though. If you believe that Yeshua is the Messiah, then you must believe that he kept all the commandments correctly. We know that he kept the weekly Sabbath and the other appointed times on the same day that the Pharisees and Sadducees did. They were wrong about some things, but clearly not about everything. With a few minor exceptions, we know when the first century Jews kept the weekly Sabbath and all of the other appointed times and therefore when Yeshua kept them. They counted the months according the new moon and the weeks according to a continuous cycle of 7 days with no connection to the new moon, and so did Yeshua.

Whether you follow the sighting of the new moon or the calculated new moon, you can get the timing of the annual holy days right within a day or two, even if you've chosen the wrong method...whichever that is. Maybe you count the start of the year by the sighting of ripe barley or maybe you count it by the calculated agricultural cycles. Either method is reasonable, and I don't think we have sufficient information about first century practices.

However, if you're trying to keep the appointed times on a day that's radically different than most other people--counting the Sabbath by the new moon or calculating the months without reference to the new moon, for example--I have to wonder what makes you think you know better than Yeshua.

If you don't think keeping the feasts is important to God, this probably seems like a petty disagreement. I'll simply refer you back to the Scriptures, which plainly say that the timing of the feasts is important to him. If the King summoned you to court on Tuesday and you showed up on Wednesday because it was more convenient for you, don't you think he would care?

These are the appointed feasts of the LORD, which you shall proclaim as times of holy convocation, for presenting to the LORD food offerings, burnt offerings and grain offerings, sacrifices and drink offerings, each on its proper day...

Leviticus 23:37

Leadership Movies

 I recently watched the Mel Gibson movie We Were Soldiers about America taking the Vietnam War baton from the French. Setting aside the dubious use of death and violence as entertainment, I enjoyed the film and appreciated its portrayal of a culture of which I'm certain Hollywood has very little understanding. I don't mean the culture of Vietnam, but the culture of honor and leadership that has been central to the militaries of the West for centuries. That culture now appears to be suffering a quick and grotesque death, partly caused by the intrepid degeneracy of Hollywood, but that's what actors do: pretend to be something they're not. Every now and then, though, Hollywood gets it right and produces a film that showcases the best of humanity: moral, humble, confident, God-fearing, and self-sacrificing.

(Interestingly aside: in recent decades Mel Gibson has been the writer, directory, producer and/or lead actor in a high percentage of those films.)

Entertainment will always reflect the character of the culture that spawns it, but it can also have a powerful influence on that culture. A positive feedback loop, for good or ill.

Below is a list of movies and TV series that I think showcase great leaders and leadership. It will start small, because I can only think of a couple right now, but I'll add more when I think of them or encounter them. Feel free to make suggestions in the comments. 

It's not an accident that most of them have military themes. Stories about leadership are much easier to come by in very high stress, dangerous environments.

Your mileage may vary, so check reviews and ratings, and possibly screen everything here before letting your children watch them. No movie is perfect and your standards are certain to differ from my own in many important respects. 

• We Were Soldiers: Mel Gibson, Madeleine Stowe, Greg Kinnear, Sam Elliott, Barry Pepper, et al
• The Lost Battalion: Ricky Schroder, Phil McKee, Adam James, et al
• 12 Angry Men: Henry Fonda, Lee Cob, Jack Klugman, et al
• Enders Game: Harrison Ford, Asa Butterfield, Hailee Steinfeld, et al
• Guardians of the Galaxy, vol 3: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Bradley Cooper, et al
• Glory: Matthew Broderick, Denzel Washington, Morgan Freeman, et al
• Dune Part Two: Timothee Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, et al
• World War Z: Brad Pitt, Mireille Enos, Daniella Kertesz, et al
• Zulu: Stanley Baker, Jack Hawkins, et al
• Arctic: Mads Mikkelsen, Maria Smaradottir

I started watching Stargate Atlantis, and after 6 episodes, it seems a great counterpoint to the list above. Lots of examples of terrible leadership except for Robert Patrick's character, Colonel Sumner, in episode 1. Maybe. As I continue watching, it's apparent that this is one of those shows in which all the characters take turns being ridiculously stupid. 

I'm also going to add books to this list, as I come across them.

• The Spiral Wars (9 book series, so far. The whole series). Joel Shepherd

Note: All links are Amazon Affiliate. I earn a very small commission for purchases made through these links.

A Chiasm on Unjust Judges in Psalm 82

This chiasm is brought to you, in part, by one of my Chiasm Course students at Common Sense Bible Study.

• V1 – God rises to judge the judges (elohim)
• V2 – God accuses the unjust judges
• v3-4 - A righteous judge ensures justice for the oppressed
• V5a – They have no [divine] knowledge or understanding
• V5b – They walk in darkness
• V5c – The foundations of the earth are shaken (unstable)
• V6 - Judge righteously because you are a child of God
• V7 – God sentences the unjust judges
• V8 – God rises to judge the world

Knowing that this Psalm is all about God correcting the abuses of an oppressive leadership, how does that effect your understanding of Yeshua's conversation with the Jewish leadership at Hanukkah in John 10:22-42?

Short Video Lessons from the Gospel of Matthew

The Gospel of Matthew is the most Jewish of four canonical Gospels, clearly presenting Yeshua's teachings as commentary on how to live according to Torah (God's Law), and his life and mission as the Messiah, the physical son of David and the spiritual son of Yosef, come to give his life for the sake of his people.

Beginning in 2018, I recorded forty (and counting!) short video teachings on the Gospel of Matthew, explaining the parables and commonly misused teachings of Yeshua. I have also connected most (all?) of these videos to one or more of the annual Torah portions, which you can find on each of the parsha pages at American Torah or by checking the American Torah playlists at YouTube and the topical tags at American Torah's Rumble channel. (Don't forget to subscribe while you're there!)

Short Lessons from the Gospel of Matthew:

• The Book of the Genesis of Jesus, Matthew 1:1
• Joseph and Mary Divorced Before They're Even Married!?, Matthew 1:18-19
• Is Hosea 11:1 about Jesus or Israel?, Matthew 2:13-16
• Matthew 3:1-2. What is the Gospel?, Matthew 3:1-3
• The Righteousness of Jesus' Baptism in Matthew 3:13-15, Matthew 3:13-15
• Father, Son, and Spirit in Matthew 3:16-17, Matthew 3:16-17
• Matthew 4:1-4 and Bread from Stones, Matthew 4:1-4
• Matthew 4:23-25 and Jesus' Syrian Fan Base, Matthew 4:23-25
• Who Are the Poor in Spirit in Matthew 5:3?, Matthew 5:3
• How Does Salt Lose Its Saltiness? Matthew 5:13, Matthew 5:13
• Is Matthew 5:19 Only for the Jews?, Matthew 5:19
• Matthew 5:21-24 and Yeshua on Harboring Anger against a Brother, Matthew 5:21-24
• Matthew 6:24 - Everyone Serves Multiple Masters, Matthew 6:24
• Matthew 7:1 - When Is It OK to Judge?, Matthew 7:1
• Matthew 7:12 - Is the Golden Rule Really Universal?, Matthew 7:12
• Who Are the Workers of Lawlessness in Matthew 7:23?, Matthew 7:21-23
• Lead Like the Centurion - Matthew 8:5-13, Matthew 8:5-13
• Strange Tidings from the Sea of Galilee in Matthew 8:28-34, Matthew 8:28-34
• Did Jesus Blaspheme in Matthew 9:1-8?, Matthew 9:1-8
• Matthew 9:14-17 and the Three Fasting Parables, Matthew 9:14-17
• Matthew 9:32-33 and the Demon-Possessed Mute, Mathew 9:32-33
• Who Are the Lost Sheep of Israel in Matthew 10:6?, Matthew 10:5-7
• The Wisdom and Kindness of Serpents (Matthew 10:16-20), Matthew 10:16-20
• Matthew 10:40-42 and the Risks of Rewarding Righteousness, Matthew 10:40-42
• The Greatest, the Least, and the Violent in Matthew 11:7-14, Matthew 11:7-14
• Choose Your Yoke, Matthew 11:29-30, Matthew 11:29-30
• The Rules of Sabbath in Matthew 12:1-14, Matthew 12:1-14
• What Is Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit?, Matthew 12:31-32
• Tares in the Kingdom of Heaven, Matthew 13:24-30, Matthew 13:24-30
• Parable of the Householder's Treasure in Matthew 13:51-52, Matthew 13:51-52
• Four Lessons from Herod and Herodias in Matthew 14:1-12, Matthew 14:1-12
• The Gospel in the Feeding of the Five Thousand (Matthew 14:13-21), Matthew 14:13-21
• Matthew 15:1-20 and What Defiles a Person?, Matthew 15:1-20
• Prophetic Significance of Feeding the Four Thousand in Matthew 15:32-39, Matthew 15:32-39
• Signs Pointing to God, Matthew 16:1-12, Matthew 16:1-12
• What are the Keys to the Kingdom in Matthew 16?, Matthew 16:13-20
• Thematic Connections of Jesus Transfiguration in Matthew 17:1-9, Matthew 17:1-9
• Jesus and the Temple Tax in Matthew 17:24-27, Matthew 17:24-27
• Matthew 18:15-20 - If a Brother Sins Against You, Matthew 18:15-20
• Yeshua on Marriage and Divorce, Matthew 19:3-9
• The Wealth and Poverty of Self-Sufficiency, Matthew 19:16-26
• Authority Relationships in the Kingdom of Heaven, Matthew 20:25-28
• Jesus Will Open Your Eyes if You Let Him, Matthew 20:29-34
• The Two Donkeys of the Triumphal Entry, Matthew 21:1-11
• Religious Leadership and Withered Fig Trees, Matthew 21:17-22
• Bad Tenants and Bad Vines, Matthew 21:33-46
• Who Is the Guest without Wedding Garments? Matthew 22:1-14
• Marriage and Resurrection, Matthew 22:23-32
• Did Jesus say to obey everything the Pharisees said? Matthew 23:1-12
• The Revelation of the Wicked, Matthew 23:13-39
• Apostacy, False Prophets, and the Gospel, Mathew 24:3-14
• Has the Abomination of Desolation in Matthew 24 Already Happened?, Matthew 24:15-22
• Don't Be Deceived, Matthew 24:23-28
• Sun, Moon, Stars, and the Sign of the Son of Man, Matthew 24:29-31
• No One Knows the Day and Hour, Matthew 24:32-51
• Matthew 25:31-46, Who's in and who's out?, Matthew 25:31-46

Lucifer vs Hel-El

Someone on Facebook asked me about this interesting post:

Ooh, sounds scary. I don't want to come across any "dangerous names". 

Although I know it's sometimes hard to tell, most people aren't complete idiots. If you tell them an obvious lie, they can usually tell, and they'll just ignore or mock you. If you want them to believe it, you have to spend a lot of time conditioning them to believe nonsense (see the current trans-mania) or you have to disguise your nonsense with a veneer of truth. That's what this person is doing. It's total nonsense, but it's couched in just enough truth and true-sounding gobbledygook to seem believable.

This warning(?) sounds plausible if you don't know any Hebrew, nor how languages interact and evolve, nor how to use the tools to verify its claims.

According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, Lucifer is a Latin word that means "light bearer" or "morning star". 

According to the Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew dictionary, helel means "shining one" or "morning star". It appears only once in the entire Bible in Isaiah 14:12.

When Jerome translated the Bible into Latin in the 4th century, he translated this word literally from the Hebrew to the Latin. That's pretty reasonable, since there is nothing in the context to indicate that it is the name of a person. The Jewish Publication Society and the English Standard Version both translate it as "day star", although the ESV capitalizes it as a proper title. Jerome wasn't trying to hide the original Hebrew, he was just translating it.

The Hebrew word isn't "Hel-El" and did not refer to a "Hel god". The Hebrew is helel (הילל), related to another Hebrew word halal (הלל), which is a verb that means "to shine". It is not a compound word made from hel and el, a generic Hebrew word for a god. It is a deverbal noun derived from a single verb. As far as I can tell, there was no deity named "Hel" in the Ancient Near East, so rendering helel as "Hel god" is doubly nonsensical.

Since almost all early churches in England exclusively used Jerome's Latin Bible, the word "lucifer" was eventually adopted into the Old English language as a pseudonym of Satan. The King James Version translated Hebrew helel as Lucifer, because that was a reasonable translation for the English of that day. Nobody was hiding any "dangerous names".

Lucifer and helel both mean "light bearer". They are synonyms. 2 Corinthians 11:14 says so also: "Satan disguises himself as an angel (messenger/bearer) of light."

The only conspiracy here is by someone trying to make Bible believers look foolish. Beware of peddlers of sensationalism. They are almost always trying to trick you into something.

Now I'm just waiting for someone to claim that drinking Shiner beers is pagan.

A Chiasm in Matthew 5 on the Spiritual Nature of the Law

 

A - v2-12 - Spiritual application of Torah
-- B - v13-16 - Righteousness that glorifies God
---- C - v17a - Don't think that Yeshua will abolish the Law or Prophets
------ D - v17b - Yeshua didn't come to abolish them
-------- E - v18a - Until Heaven and Earth pass away
---------- F - v18b - Not an iota or dot will pass from the Law
-------- E - v18c - Until all is accomplished
------ D - v19a - Relaxes the least commandment and teaches others so
---- C - v19b - Does and teaches the commandments
-- B - v20 - Righteousness that glorifies man
A - v21-48 - Spiritual application of Torah

A few things that can be learned from this chiastic arrangement:

1. "Until Heaven and Earth pass away" and "Until all is accomplished" are not two possibilities for when the Law will pass away, but two descriptions of the same event. In other words "all" will not be accomplished until heaven and earth pass away.
2. Verses 13-16 are meant to exemplify a kind of righteous behavior that glorifies God. This righteousness is juxtaposed with that of the scribes and Pharisees in verse 20, which serves only to glorify men.
3. The Beatitudes in verses 2-12 concern the inner character of the perfectly righteous man, while the "You have heard it said" statements in verses 21-48 are specific instructions on how to become that righteous man. Both sets of statements are examples of literary anaphora, a form of parallelism in which the first word or phrase is repeated in each statement in order to connect them together.
4. Verses 17-20 are usually treated as a discrete passage with a complete message in itself, but this misunderstands Yeshua's real message. The Beatitudes are Torah. Letting the light of your righteous deeds shine before men in order to glorify your Heavenly Father is Torah. So long as there is a need for peacekeepers, for mercy, for endurance of persecution, there is a need for the Law. Only when the need for those qualities has vanished--when wickedness, covetousness, and hatred have been abolished--will the Torah, also known as the Law of Moses, no longer be necessary to teach and convict mankind.

For more on chiasms--including how to identify, map, and interpret them--check out The Chiasm Course!