Soon after the birth of Jesus, Caesar Augustus issued a decree that all in the Roman world should be taxed. This order of taxation is attested as follows, "Gaius Vibius, chief prefect of Egypt. Because of the approaching census it is necessary that all those residing for any cause away from their own homes, should at once prepare to return to their own governments, in order that they may complete the family administration of the enrolment, and that the tilled lands may retain those belonging to them. Know that your city has need of provisions from the country, I wish " . . . (At this point the papyrus become too fragmentary for connected translation.) - It is perfectly clear that in Egypt the enrolment was done on the basis of kinship. The word rendered "family" abobe means "kindred" in the larger sense. It appears, then, that in Egypt the enrolment of each district, and that, lest those residing elsewhere should forget to return home for the census, proclamations were issued directing them to do so. It is well known that in many respects the customs of Roman administration in Syria and Egypt were similar. Luke's statement, that Joseph went up from Nazareth to Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to enroll himself with Mary (Lk. 2:4,5), turns out to be in exact accord with the government regulations as we now know from the quoted papyri. [George A. Barton, Ph.D., LL.D., `Archaeology and the Bible,' p. 435. Philadelphia: American Sunday-School Union, 1916.]

In 37 BC, Herod with the aid of the Roman army conquered Judea and made himself king. He was the son of the governor of Idumea in the south. Young Herod held several posts under Roman rule. The second of his ten wives was a Jewish princess and with her help he became a master of political infighting. At age 35 he was named king of the Jews by the Roman Senate and thanks to the sponsorship by the world's three most powerful people, Marc Anthony, ruler of Rome's eastern domain, his lover Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt, and Octavian, Julius Caesar's adopted son, ruler of Rome's western domain. Before Herod could claim the throne, he had to take it from a puppet king who had been installed by a rival empire to the east. It took years of fighting with the help of Syrian troops. Jerusalem was nearly destroyed then but at last he won. But the Jews did not welcome Herod, who, as an Idumaean, was considered a foreigner. Only a century earlier the Idumaeans had been converted to Judaism by force but were still distrusted by many. Herod began his reign by ordering the execution of hundreds, including the members of the ruling council, the Sanhedrin. He enriched himself by confiscating their estates and whatever wealth he could cease. Next he established a new aristocracy made up of wealthy Jews from Babylon, Alexandria and elsewhere out of the Roman Empire. People who would owe him their position. Above all Herod needed an ally in the powerful position of the High Priest of the Temple in Jerusalem in a land where religious law was the only law most people respected. The kings of the dynasties before him had taken that office themselves, but Herod knew that he could never follow them in that. The present High Priest was a prince of that same dynasty, the brother of Herod's second wife. Herod had him murdered and appointed a new High Priest from Babylon, a man with no connection to the former aristocracy. Herod's power depended on a secret police and a network of spies. A formative set of bodyguards protected him and he kept an army of foreign mercenaries at the ready. With his power consolidated, Herod began to rebuild Jerusalem which was quite in ruins by his own war actions. It was the beginning of one of the world's most ambitious reconstruction projects the world had ever seen. Thousands of laborers and craftsmen were employed for decades, paid by means of heavy taxation. He rebuild the city walls and constructed a new fortress looming over the old Temple. He called it the Antonia, after Marc Anthony, and it rose above all the old, sacred buildings with Roman majesty. There was a Roman-style theater and a Hippodrome for chariot races, athletic competitions in the nude and games of life and death combat, all of them deeply offensive to the Jews. His own home, a fortified palace in the extravagant Upper City of Jerusalem, dwarfed the mansions already there. Throughout his kingdom Herod erected monuments, gardens, Roman baths, aqueducts, many roads and opulent palaces for himself all across the land. One of these palaces was in the crater of a volcanic looking mountain, but it was no volcano. The material was obtained from a nearby mountain which was demolished to create a smooth sided steep mountain unscaleable by enemies. There was only one way up, a stone staircase inside the mountain. Inside the crater was a huge palace with a colonnaded courtyard and ample space. There was enough food and water to support an army for months. He called the complex the `Herodium' in honor of himself. It was just one of a chain of fortresses, protecting Judea's southern and eastern borders and became his burial place. Another link in that chain was the fortified rock of Masada.

In 30/29 BC the Roman Cornelius Gallus under the later emperor Augustus (27 BC-14 AD) destroyed Thebes.

Correlating the 15th year of Tiberius with 27 A.D.

It seems all of today's history books date Tiberius Caesar, the adopted stepson of Augustus Caesar from 14 to 37 A.D.; so, how can 27 A.D. (when Jesus was baptized, Lk. 3:1,21) be the 15th year of Tiberius? The reason is a coreign of Tiberius with Augustus beginning in 12 A.D. as he reigned for 25 years including his coreign. Augustus (Octavian) Caesar reigned for 44 years (31 B.C. to 14 A.D.); he was an old man, which explains that he knew in order to have a smooth transition, his successor son must be trained for a period of time - a coregency was the method used for that from ages past. Actually Octavianus-Augustus had three stepsons whom he used to subdue the Celtic tribes in the Alpine mountains, Augustus, Tiberius and Drusus, Tiberius was slated to succeed him. [Fernis/Haverkamp, `Grundzüge der Geschichte,' 1962, p. 71-72; try also Heinrich Graetz (1817-1891), `Volkstümliche Geschichte der Juden,' `Geschichte der Juden'; Humphrey Prideaux (1648-1724), `The Old and The New Testament Connected with the History of the Jews', Vol. II, p. 423; Consult Conradi, L.R., `Weissagung und Weltgeschichte,' 1922, p. 242. It is possible that Conradi got his information from Spicer and reading it he was satisfied, so can we, since he was at times not easy to satisfy.]
Uriah Smith wrote on the accession of Tiberius, "According to Humphrey Prideaux (see volume above), Dr. William Hales, A New Analysis of Chronology, Vol. III, p. 1, and others, the reign of Tiberius is to be reckoned from his elevation to the throne to reign jointly with Augustus, his stepfather, in August, A.D. 12." [U. Smith, Daniel and the Revelation, p. 257. - Somehow I had lost my original copy of this book and more recently obtained a new one.]
This coreign is otherwise hard to find; that is the reason why most books gloss over this discrepancy since they seem to have been unable to account for it. This writer had that same problem for several years, until I finally researched again and found the answer by studying the length of time that the stepfather of Tiberius reigned (44 years) and realizing that the responsible old man the emperor was (he probably realized that his time left was short), he would definitely have a coregency for his successor son to prepare him for the time when it was his turn to reign. The failure of some weekend historians to consider these facts does not help the matter. It appears to be also the reason why some opt for the year 29. A.D. as the year when Jesus was baptized and began his ministry, thus he was crucified in 33 A.D. according to that reckoning. What is the effect? The consequence is that these time Prophecies of Daniel are off.
Well, that search went on for a while until I consulted another book on prophecy and there I found more source information why the coregency is true. It says, "Tiberius followed Augustus, who died in A.D. 14. But before the latter's death, Tiberius was associated with him on the throne. Some modern historians date this appointment of Tiberius as Caesar from A.D. 13; but the "History of Rome," by Dion Cassius, a Roman senator, born in the second century, shows, under events of A.D. 12, that Augustus recognized Tiberius as holding imperial dignity at that time. (Book 56, ch. 26.). Again, Dr. Philip Schaff says, `There are coins from Antioch in Syria of the date A.U. 765 (A.D. 12), with the head of Tiberius and the inscription, Kaisar, Sebastos (Agustus). [Philip Schaff, `History of the Christian Church,' Vol. I, p. 120, footnote. See this website for such a coin by scrolling down or use search.]'
These coins from Syria bear certain witness that the first year of Tiberius should be counted from A.D. 12. Therefore `the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar' would be A.D. 27, just 483 years from the going forth of the commandment to restore Jerusalem. The prophecy of the sixty-nine weeks was fulfilled - the Messiah had come." [See W.A. Spicer, `Our Day in the Light of Prophecy,' Pacific Press, 1917, p. 230, 231.]
1) A Dictionary of the Bible (James Hastings,Vol 4, p 760, article: TIBERIUS), states: "The second Roman emporer, A.D. 14-37. The former [14 AD] is the date of Tiberius' accession on the death of Augustus. But there is good reason to suppose that St. Luke (3:1) in his reference to the 15th year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, as the beginning of John the Baptist's ministry, is reckoning from the date of Tiberius' association with Augustus in the empire some two years before the death of the latter......The exact year of Tiberius' adoption by his stepfather in the government is not known. Mommsen puts it A.D. 11, other authorities A.D. 13. Perhaps the use of the word hegemonia (AV and RV 'reign') implies that Tiberius was only acting as regent before the death of Augustus. From the evidence of coins struck at this date it is shown that it was customary to regard Tiberius' reign as beginning A.D. 12 or A.U.C. 765."
2) A Dictionary of the Bible (James Hastings, Vol 1, p 405, article: CHRONOLOGY OFTHE NEW TESTAMENT, 2,C.a), states: "Herod's temple was begun, according to BJ [a.k.a. Wars of the Jews] in his 15th, according to Ant. [Antiquities of the Jews] in his 18th year (BJ I. XXi. 1; Ant. XV. xi. 1); and as Jos. [Josephus] in both books summarizes the length of Herod's reign by a double computation from the de jure kingship in B.C. 40, and the de facto kingship in B.C. 37, an ["]obvious["] solution of the discrepancy would be to count the 15th year from the later, and the 18th year from the earlier, of the two starting-points, both reckonings then converging on B.C. 23. But in fact Jos., when he gives a single date, invariably computes it from the de facto kingship only. So in Ant...the battle of Actium (Sept., B.C. 31) is put in the 7th year of Herod; Augustus' second visit to Syria, which was not earlier than B.C. 21 (for it was ten years after the first [visit], and that in turn was after Actium [31 BC], is dated in the seventeenth year [of Herod's reign]; and the completion of Caesarea is fixed in the 92nd Olympiad (B.C. 12-8), and in the 28th year [of Herod's reign] (Ant.XV. v. 2, vi. 7, XVI. v. 1; BJ I. xx. 4). Seeing, then, that the divergence cannot be accounted for as a double reckoning, it must arise from the correction in Ant. of an error in BJ, so that Josephus' ultimate date is the 18th year from B.C. 37, or in other words B.C.20-19, and the passover of the first year will be probably that of B.C. 19, and the passover of the 46th year that of A.D. 27. Thus the latest date for the Baptism is the early months of A.D.27."

Well, I did some more searching about the coins and added some relevant statements as well imbedded some additional links. It appears to me that the coin issue is pretty good and we can keep the coreign period from 12 A.D. as the one Luke accepted.
May the reader understand now the reason why that is the case and take heart and understand that the prophecies of Daniel are reliable and true.

Queen Agrippina II

The beautifully carved head of Queen Agrippina II (10-59 AD), wife of Emperor Claudius and mother of Nero, with her facial features and tight lips seeming to suggest a mischievous look, can be seen in BAR, Vol. IX, Jan/Feb 1983, p. 50.

Antonius Felix

Antonius Felix claimed to seek improved relations with the Jews of Judea, but there was apparently great friction between him and the people - at least when he struck those coins in 54 and 58 AD showing on one side Jewish symbols as palm trees or palm fonds and on the other side Roman crossed shields and spears.[See BAR, Mar 1987, p. 54.]

Second Revolt (135 AD) Jewish Gold Coin

Herod the Great in order to safeguard his regime and protect his family from possible attacks of his subjects as well as from Cleopatra constructed 3 major fortresses in the south of Judah. They were the fortress of Masada, the fortress prison of Machaerus in present day Jordan (Here John the Baptist was beheaded according to Josephus), first constructed by Alexander Jannaeus, overlooks the Dead Sea, and the incredible Herodium (Jebel Fureidis), located ca. 4 miles southeast of Bethlehem.

A beautiful tetradrachma gold coin depicting possibly the entrance to the Herodian Temple sanctuary which was totally destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD as predicted by Jesus Christ (Matthew 24:1,2), featuring the two letters was reportedly excavated legally in Jerusalem and thought to have been minted by the Jewish rebels. The coin can be seen in BAR, Vol. 23, Nov/Dec 1997, p. 48.

See also David M. Jacobson, `Herod the Great Shows His True Colors' in Near Eastern Archaeology, Sep 2001, p. 100-104. Showing both sides of a bronze coin. One side features a trident the other the cap of Dioscuri with a star, both are pagan symbols. The magazine shows many ancient coins of various denominations and origins.

Adam Kolman Marshak, Yale June 2007, writes `The Dated Coins of Herod the Great: Towards a New Chronology' in which he claims that the well known Herodian period "dated coins" ought to be dated to 27 BC to commemorate the rebuilding and renaming of Samaria/Sebaste in Augustu's honor.[BAR, Jul/Aug 2007, p. 16. Sebaste was so named by King Herod, Joesphus, Antiquities, Book XV, ch. ix, Sec. 5, p. 329.]

Jewish Books and the Library of Alexandria

It was Demetrius Phalerius librarian at the Alexandrian library who said in a speech that Aristeas, a courtier of Ptolemy I Philadelphus (284-247 BC), urging the king that copies be made of the sacred books of the Jews for his great library in Alexandria. This story is also mentioned by both Philo and Flavius Josephus.

"Now it is necessary that thou shouldst have accurate copies of them. And indeed this legislation is full of hidden wisdom, and entirely blameless, as being the legislation of God; for which cause it is, as Hecateus of Abdera says, that the poets and historians make no mention of it, nor of those men who led their lives according to it, since it is a holy law, and ought not to be published by profane mouths." [Josephus, `Antiquities', Book 12, chap. 2, Sec. 4.]

Palestine: 37/36 BC Herod, aided by Roman consul Sosius, takes Jerusalem from Antigonus.; 25-12 BC period of Herod's constructions.; 25 AD Ministry of John the Baptist.; `Jewish question' in Alexandria comes to a head with embassy to Gaius.;

Giant Cave
In March 2009, Adam Zertal accidentally discovered a large rock cut cave in the Jordan Valley, north of Jericho. It was the largest man made cave ever discovered. It occupies reportedly more than 10 acres. "The cave's walls were covered with several Roman and Christian symbols, including Latin letters, a zodiac design, a possible depiction of a Roman legion banner and more than 30 crosses. The carvings, as well as the pottery outside the cave, indicate that the cave was in use from approximately the first century A.D. until at least the sixth century, according to Zertal." What was the hide out used for? "The cave's blockish and heavily chiseled interior suggests that originally it was hewn out of the surrounding bedrock as a massive underground stone quarry, perhaps as early as the first century B.C., when Herod the Great inaugurated in extensive building program in the southern Jordan Valley. Holes chiseled into the bedrock helped secure the quarrymen's pack animals, while oil lamps placed in recesses in the cave's pillars provided illumination. Given the size of the cave and its varied engravings, Zertal believes the quarry rmained an active worksite well into the Byzantine period (4th to 6th centuries A.D.)."
Interestingly enough the excavator believed the cave might be identified as the site of Galgala shown on the famous 6th century Madaba mosaic map. Zertal says that name was mistakenly identified as Gilgal by the Byzantians, where the tribes set up 12 standing stone. But the discussion is not yet over, Zertal said. [BAR, Vol. 36, No. 1, Jan/Feb 2010, p. 20.]

Nemrud Dagh - Babel

Nemrud Dagh ("da" means "mountain") is located where the Euphrates River exits the eastern, inner Taurus mountains, the burial site of the Seleucid king, Antiochus Epiphanes (62-32 BC). The account of the building of Babel and its tower is told in Genesis 11. It begins with the statement that all the people spoke the same language. Next, we are told of the "exodus" of a group of people from the area first settled by Noah and his descendants after the flood: "And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech. And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there." Gen. 11:1-2. It takes not much to deduce that the people who left the area of the ark traveled to the west. Common sense adds the additional information that they traveled along a river - a water supply for the people as well as their flocks and herds would have been an absolute necessity. Therefore, they began their journey at the beginning of one of the mountain streams that was a tributary of the Euphrates River near the area of the ark and followed it to the west until they came to a plain. -- Studying topographical and flight maps of the region, the observer will notice the place where the Euphrates River exits the mountainous region - roughly a two hundred fifty mile journey from the region of the ark. And there, where the mountains end, is a plain. -- But another, more direct route would have taken them in a southwest direction for about one hundred forty miles until they reached the west side of Lake Van. From there, they would have traveled along the more south-eastern branch of the Euphrates River headwaters about fifty miles through a mountain pass then exiting onto the vast plain where they would travel west until they reached the Euphrates. These are the only two natural east-west routes across Anatolia. Which route they took, we may never know. However, both would have brought the group to the same general area. -- Putting ourselves in their place, we may conclude, they would have traveled no further, provided the region contained all the natural resources that they would have needed, which it did. We assume that here is the "plain in the land of Shinar" where they "dwelt". On the map, you can see the location of Mt. Ararat (the region of the ark).

Queen Helena and King Izates

The name of the wife of King Monibaz/Monabazus was Queen Helena. They lived in a city the town of Adiabene, somewhere in the Assyrian territory. These persons became known for they seemed to have converted to Judaism with all their heart. They lived around the time when Jesus did his work to bring salvation to all for Queen Helena (she had herself built a mausoleum in Jerusalem) arrived in Jerusalem around 46-48 A.D. She had two sons, Monibaz II and Izates. After her husband died, her younger son Izates became king. This Queen Helena and her namesake Queen Helena of Emperor Constantine, some 300 years later, are the only two by that name who had a measure of notoriety. [See Josephus, Antiquities, Bk. XX, ch. ii, Sec. 1-5; War, Bk. VI, chap. vi, Sec. 3.]

Website based views on the Septuagint

"Because some of the elements appear to be legendary e.g. 72 translators being separated and then when their individual translations were compared, each of the copies were worded identically the same.

At 09:19 AM 1/20/99 -0800, you wrote: Thank you K. Why do you refer to Aristeas' proposal as being a legend? I want to add a note. The Epistle ad Aristeam only describes the origins of the Pentateuch, not the entire Greek OT. If you read it, you also discover that King Ptolemy wined and dined them--and in the symposium tested their wisdom. In that sense the work is an apology for Judaism. The Neviim and Cethuvim were translated by various people, at different times. There are involved theories about the different recensions. Look up the articles in the Anchor Bible Dictionary and IDB. You might also consult the Cambridge History of the Bible and S. Jellicoe's work on the Septuagint for more detailed information. There is also an edition, by Moses Hadas if my memory serves me, in the Dropsie College series on Jewish apocrypha and pseudepigraphic works published almost a generation ago now by Harper and Row. You might also read the introduction to the Rahlfs edition for a brief account of different recensions."

Edgar Krentz, Professor Emeritus of New Testament, Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago; From: `http://lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/b-greek/1999-January/003597.html'

J. Wilson & V. Tzaferis, `Banias Dig Reveals King's Palace' But which king? in BAR, Vol. 24, Jan/Feb 1998, p. 54-61. The well illustrated story of the discovery of the Herodian period palace makes interesting reading.

Miscellaneous Finds from this Period

01) Bronze coins from 42/43, the time of Herod Agrippa I, AD found in the burial cave of Caiphas inside the skull of an adult woman. The two views of the very corroded coin show little detail. It may have been put into the mouth of the woman before internment, perhaps as an ancient, pagan custom followed also by Greeks. Also found was a small (4.33 in) slander glass bottle. [Zvi Greenhut, `Burial Cave of the Caiphas Family' in BAR, Vol. 18, Sep/Oct 1992, p. 29-36.]
02) A burial place for rabbis was located at the town of Beth Shearim, in the slopes of hills of southern Galilee. 27 cavernous catacombs were found in a vast underground maze of caverns containing Greek inscriptions. Those buried there included: Judah ha-Nasi (Judah the prince, the Patriarch Rabbi). [Ibid. from 01) above p. 46-57.]
03) In 1935 outside the wall of Jerusalem's Old City was found a limestone fragment of a 19 inch high Herodian period Temple inscription written in Greek of which the shaded part remained:

"Let no gentile enter within the partition and barrier surrounding the Temple, and whosoever is caught shall be responsible for his subsequent death." [BAR, Vol. 18, Sep/Oct 1992, p. 61.; Also BAR, Vol. 29, No. 4, Jul 2003, p. 41.]
It is possible that Jesus had read this inscription during the time of his ministry. (May require IE to read correctly.)
The Greek writing of the name of `Alexander son of Simon' was found on a stone ossuary who was possibly the son of Simon of Cyrene, Mark 15:21. The Hebrew name for `Cyrene' was `qrnyh' [BAR, July 2003, p. 47-49]

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General Bible Knowledge

We learn now that the New Testament reference of the crowing of a rooster (Mark 14:30 and others) actually refers a Roman bugle like instrument which was blown to indicate partitions in daily time. The Greek word for rooster is `alektwr' (alektor) and for the sounding of it we read, `alektorophonia'. The Latin word for rooster is `gallus', the same word as for the inhabitants of Gaul, who commonly kept chicken on their property. During the time of Christ were units of the Tenth Roman army in Palestine. It is a play on words in the Greek, characterizing the shrill sound of the instrument and comparing it to the crowing of a rooster. Their identification stamp has been found numerous times. Many soldiers from various European lands were enlisted in their ranks.

The Future of Caiphas

According to the words of Jesus, Caiphas will be one of those who, in a special resurrection, will see the Lord Jesus on the day of His Second Coming appearing in the clouds. As the epitome of religious arrogance, the theologian Caiphas was selected by God to witness his foolish denial of everything he should have believed and accepted. There may be others like him. See Matthew 26:64, Mark 14:62 and Revelation 1:7.

Thracian chariot found - In August 7, 2008 it was reported that Bulgarian archaeologists unearthed a 1,900-year-old well-preserved chariot at an ancient Thracian tomb in southeastern Bulgaria, 360 km east of Sofia. Daniela Agre said the complete four-wheel chariot was found near the village of Borisovo. At the funerary mound, the team also discovered table pottery, glass vessels and other gifts for the funeral of a wealthy Thracian aristocrat. - In a separate pit, they unearthed skeletons of two riding horses apparently sacrificed during the funeral of the nobleman, along with well preserved bronze and leather objects, some believed it was the horses harness. - The Thracians were an ancient people that inhabited the lands of present day Bulgaria and parts of modern Greece, Turkey, Macedonia and Romania between (conventional, evolutionary long age) 4,000 B.C. and the 6th century, when they were assimilated by the invading Slavs. Some 10,000 Thracian mounds — some of them covering monumental stone tombs — are scattered across Bulgaria.

Parthian Rulers
From King Artabanus II (12-38 AD) can be seen a coin in BASOR, No. 250, Spring 1983, p. 65.

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Acts 10: 9-10

"18:13 And led him away to Annas first; for he was father in law to Caiaphas, which was the high priest that same year.
18:14 Now Caiaphas was he, which gave counsel to the Jews, that it was expedient that one man should die for the people.
18:15 And Simon Peter followed Jesus, and [so did] another disciple: that disciple was known unto the high priest, and went in with Jesus into the palace of the high priest.
18:16 But Peter stood at the door without. Then went out that other disciple, which was known unto the high priest, and spake unto her that kept the door, and brought in Peter.
18:17 Then saith the damsel that kept the door unto Peter, Art not thou also [one] of this man's disciples? He saith, I am not.
18:18 And the servants and officers stood there, who had made a fire of coals; for it was cold: and they warmed themselves: and Peter stood with them, and warmed himself.
18:19 The high priest then asked Jesus of his disciples, and of his doctrine.
18:20 Jesus answered him, I spake openly to the world; I ever taught in the synagogue, and in the temple, whither the Jews always resort; and in secret have I said nothing.
18:21 Why askest thou me? ask them which heard me, what I have said unto them: behold, they know what I said.
18:22 And when he had thus spoken, one of the officers which stood by struck Jesus with the palm of his hand, saying, Answerest thou the high priest so?
18:23 Jesus answered him, If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil: but if well, why smitest thou me?
18:24 Now Annas had sent him bound unto Caiaphas the high priest.
.............
18:28 Then led they Jesus from Caiaphas unto the hall of judgment: and it was early; and they themselves went not into the judgment hall, lest they should be defiled; but that they might eat the passover." John 18:13-24, 28.

In order to determine how long Jesus was in the custody of the Jewish leadership we learn that Jesus was first taken to Annas, John 18:13-24, where they waited for the coming morning to bring Jesus to trial, John 18:28, before the Sanhedrin. The time which elapsed from the Sanhedrin trial to his burial was from early Thursday morning, the 15th day of the month, to about sunset Friday, the 16th, a total of 36 hours. Add to this the total hours from his burial about midnight Friday night to his resurrection on the first day of the week, equals about another 36 hours. All in all then the time from the arrest of Jesus to his resurrection was 72 hours, 3 days and 3 nights from Thursday morning to Sunday morning.

The Jewish year was based on the lunar not solar cycle and therefore consisted of 354 days, 8 hours, 48 minutes and 38 seconds. This disributed among the 12 months, would completely disarrange the seasons over time. A Jewish committee oversaw the necessary calendrical adjustments. Commonly every 3rd year required the addition of a 13th month called Ve-Adar. Since the mean duration of a Jewish month was 29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes and 3 seconds, it required during the period of 19 years the insertion of seven months to bring lunar era to compare with the Julian solar year.

In Exodus 35:2, Israel had become a nation, a theocracy. Nations make laws. Once the theocracy came to an end, these laws were not transferred beyond that period. The 4th commandment is at the same time

1. a sign of sanctification,
   
2. a sign by which we recognize our connection with Almighty Creator God,
   
3. a sign of the believer's rest from his own works of sin, and his entrance into the rest of soul

... which Jesus promises to those who come to Him. The punishments meted out in OT times were discontinued because of transgressions. The time had come when God was silent, 1.Sam. 28:6; 1.Cor. 10:21. Does that mean God is not particular anymore? No. It means the punishment will not be inflicted until after the judgment at the end of the world for those who do not want to be with God.
The incident in Numbers 15:32-41 of a man gathering sticks was not the type of gathering one may do as a need or inadvertant task to take care of one's family. The severity of this case underscores that in the heart of this man was outright rebellion. He made a statement by his public gathering of sticks that he would not comply with the Law of God. He displayed Satanic rejection of God after visible and audible demonstrated evidences of the power and glory of God. God knew his heart and that his deed would be an ensample to Israel and had to be dealt with right there and then. It is the same in matters of church discipline as carried out by Lutherans, Baptists and so on over the ages. As Christians and especially Sabbath keeping Christians, we are not to "seek after our own heart or after our own eyes, but remember the commandments of God and keep them." [Isa. 58:13; Num. 15:39-40; Deut. 26:16-19; 27; 28.]

OT Punishment and Penalty

The penalty of death at the hand of the civil magistrate is affixed to the violation of the Sabbath. The same penalty is affixed to most of the precepts of the moral law (Lev. 20:9,10; 24:15-17; Deut. 13:6-18; 17:2-7). It should be remembered that the moral law embracing the Sabbath formed a part of the Civil Code of the Hebrew nation living in a theocracy. As such, the great Lawgiver annexed penalties to be inflicted by the magistrate, thus doubtless shadowing forth the final retribution of the ungodly. Such penalties were suspended by that remarkable decision of the Saviour that those who were without sin should cast the first stone. But such a Being will arise to punish men, when the hailstones of his wrath shall desolate the earth. Our Lord did not, however, set aside the real penalty of the law, the wages of sin, nor did he weaken that precept which had been violated. (Jh. 8:1-9; Job 38:22,23; Isa. 28:17; Rev. 16:17-21; Rom. 6:23).

Those who say, `But Jesus broke the Sabbath,' are trying that way to get out of having to keep God's day holy. If Jesus broke the Sabbath, He is a sinner because sin is the transgression of the law. If he is a sinner, he would need a redeemer. That means, he could not be the redeemer himself. We are lost. Jesus did not break God's Sabbath, He broke the sabbath of the Pharisees which is not the Bible Sabbath but a twisted version of it. Just like Jesus sought to reinstate the creation institute of marriage when the issue of divorce came up, so too, did He try to make it plain that Sabbath has to be kept God's way, not as the Pharisees kept it apart from its original meaning.

Creation Sabbath was several millennia and centuries later reaffirmed at Sinai, the Sabbath commandment is at the heart of the Decalogue. The immutable, eternal law is God's gift to mankind, a day where we can dwell in a spiritual connection with God, as Adam and Eve could walk with God in the cool of the day in Eden on that day. The Sabbath reminds Christians of Christ's work as Creator, Preserver, Benefactor, and because of his Messiah-ship as Redeemer. But to the Jews, Sabbath meant different things than it does to us today. Their annual feast days taken together added up to over a month of feast days. In their life of work, employers gave no vacation, but the feast days were kept. They revolved around the system of sacrifices and were tokens of the future redemptive work of the Savior which was little understood in their days for they sought not God but developed their own agenda. So do Christians today who ignore God's eternal law. As a theocratic, God centered nation, God gave them specific instructions and laws and how to deal with transgressors. These punishments were never meant to be inflicted on a sanctified people. During periods of apostasy they were also not justly applied laws, for the people had forsaken God. They were meant to be guard rails to keep Israel from losing their connection with the living God. Today's laws also are meant to be applied only in extreme situations, just like in Israel of old. They set them apart from the pagan societies surrounding them, societies which inflicted harsher laws at a whim of the king or priest. When Jesus died on the cross, any vestige of the theocracy also came to an end. The types and shadows of the sabbath feast days were fulfilled and done away with (Dan. 9:27 only the sacrifices and oblations ceased). Nevertheless, Jesus died on the cross for man's transgression of the Ten Commandment Law. If any of these laws could be abolished or changed, he would not have had to die (Before Wesley in England, Antinomianism taught that the moral Law of God was abolished. However, "If the commandments are preserved in heaven, certainly they are not abolished on earth." Rev. 11:19.). That teaches us, that the 4th commandment is still in force exactly as it reads. Any reinterpretation of this law today, is build on evasive views of ill considered theologies which represents a rebellious view against God's law to support human dogmas because of misunderstood interpretations. No longer did Israel need to raise sheep and goats to slaughter for sin offerings. The few New Testament references to activities of the early church on the 1st day of the week, were done on the first day, because on the Sabbath before they rested.

Explaining the `First day" Bible References from a Sabbath Keeping Point of View.

Among all the hype of a supposed transfer of sacredness from Sabbath to Sunday, the actual law binding transfer must have occurred on resurrection day and thus be contained in the four scriptures describing that event. These scriptures are: Matthew 28:1; Mark 16:1,2.9; Luke 23:56; 24:1; John 20:1,19. As a discerning reader will realize, no such transfer of sacredness is intimidated in these passages at all, but the opposite is true, they proof that Sabbath sacredness was still in force on that resurrection day. - Those who claim that Matthew's (28:1) reading "in the end of the Sabbath", means in the Greek the end of the Sabbath as a holy day, are mistaken, for the Greek word `opse' is an adverb or preposition of time meaning late after, or as a masculine genitive, it means `after', namely after the day was over, of course that means after sunset. There is not a hint that the KJV English implies a cessation of holiness after this event. In fact Martin Luther translated the same Greek word as "als aber der Sabbat um war", meaning `as the Sabbath was over.'

Numbering of days of the week

Method 1: As to the second phrase, "eis mian sabbatn", which is translated as first day of the week. In the Greek language they had more than one way to enumerate the working days of the week. In our example, it is done with reference to the seventh day Sabbath because it was the high feast of atonement when the `pascha' lamb was slain and probably also, because it was the prophesied Sabbath (Jonah 1:17; John 2:19), during which Christ rested in His grave. A Sabbath which was craddled in the middle, between the sixth and first day. The occurrence of the Greek `sabbat is correct in the Greek language for they enumerated or called each day of the week with respect to the Sabbath, i.e. "mia sabbatou", first day after the Sabbath, `duo sabbatou', second day after the Sabbath, `treis' third, `tessares' fourth, `pente' fifth and paraskeu (preparation), the sixth (`hex') day of the week. That does not make each day a Sabbath, just like the first, second or third day after our birthday does not make each day our birthday.

Method 2: The other way to enumerate week days was, "duo meras', `two days' after ...; (2) Matth. 26:2; (3) Matth. 12:40; (4) John 11:17, (5) Acts 20:6; (6) Mark 9:2.
Therefore, doing away with a pulicly published and announced Sabbath commandment, it would surely take more to annul such a divine law, than such an everyday usage of speech. But those fighting the Sabbath, as we show, look for every little thing to support their abominable claim.

While many of us may be prepared to answer false religious charges, we may not as well be prepared to answer false political charges. Christians are known for being raised in the values provided by liberty of conscience and the separation of church and state. [500] But false political charges were exactly those leveled against Christ and the apostles.

When the apostles were charged to have been followers of the Christ who had been crucified by the Romans, that was then a serious charge against them. We read, "In the meantime the high priest and those with him had `called the council together, and all the senate of the children of Israel.' The priests and rulers had decided to fix upon the disciples the charge of insurrection, to accuse them of murdering Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5), and of conspiring to deprive the priests of their authority. They hoped so to excite the mob that it would take the matter in hand and deal with the disciples as it had dealt with Jesus. They were aware that many who did not accept the teachings of Christ were weary of the arbitrary rule of the Jewish authorities and anxious for some change. The priests feared that if these dissatisfied ones were to accept the truths proclaimed by the apostles, and were to acknowledge Jesus as the Messiah, the anger of the entire people would be raised against the religious leaders, who would then be made to answer for the murder of Christ. They decided to take strong measures to prevent this." {AA 80.2}

Such charges, `insurrection, murder and conspiracy' were leveled against the followers of Christ when they were persecuted for their faith. Christ himself had been falsely accused with the following charge, "And they were more fierce, saying, He stirreth up the people, teaching throughout all Jewry, beginning from Galilee to this place." Luke 23:5

While today this charge may not sound so bad, in those days it was a serious charge for the Jewish nation was a land of great political and religious turbulence and the Romans had learned to continually look for discontent and uprisings among the people. At the first sign they would deal with it quickly and severely. To be charged with `stirring' up the people was a charge of sedition and revolt.

Here we read additional charged laid against Jesus. We read, "And the whole multitude of them arose, and led him unto Pilate. And they began to accuse him, saying, We found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Caesar, saying that he himself is Christ a king." Lk. 23:1,2

These even more serious charges of `perverting the nation', `forbidding to give tribute to Caesar' and `saying that he was Christ the king,' thus setting himself up in the place of Caesar were very serious charges brought against our Savior Jesus Christ.

When only confronting the Pharisees, charges against Christ were mostly of a religious nature, but once they got into a Roman court that changed. The Romans would not care about religious disagreements, but they would care about political charges brought against Christ.

We read, "The priests were in a dilemma. They saw that they must cloak their hypocrisy under the thickest concealment. They must not allow it to appear that Christ had been arrested on religious grounds. Were this put forward as a reason, their proceedings would have no weight with Pilate. They must make it appear that Jesus was working against the common law; then He could be punished as a political offender. ... " {DA 725.4}

And then a few pages later we read the charge Jesus was condemned for.

"Treason against the Roman government was the crime for which Jesus was condemned ..." {DA 772.4}

We may recall that the trial of Christ was not the first time that the rulers had brought charges against Him. They used such charges earlier in his ministry. They accused Him of setting up a rival kingdom and subvert their authority. We read, "They represented that He was seeking to set up a rival kingdom, and consulted with them how to destroy Him. To excite the Romans against Him, they had represented Him as trying to subvert their authority." {DA 538.2}

Many others before Christ had been accused using political charges.

Political Charges against David

Saul had represented David as a conspirator and a traitor lying in wait that he might possess the kingdom himself.

We read, "Saul had represented David as a traitor and a conspirator, lying in wait to take the life of the king, that he might possess the kingdom himself. The king had represented the matter to the people in such a light that it seemed necessary to deprive David of his life, that the prosperity of Israel might be preserved." {ST, November 9, 1888 par. 3}

Political Charges against Jeremiah

We read, "Through the pleading of these men of influence the prophet's life was spared, although many of the priests and false prophets, unable to endure the condemning truths he uttered, would gladly have seen him put to death on the plea of sedition." {PK 418.3}

Political Charges againste Nehemia and the Wall Builders

"The report was spread that Nehemiah was plotting against the Persian monarch, intending to exalt himself as a king over Israel, and that all who aided him were traitors." {PK 642.1}

Political Charges against the Apostle Paul

The following describes events when Paul was in Thessalonica. After he had been preaching there for a while, there occurred a great uproar. We read,

"But the Jews which believed not, moved with envy, took unto them certain lewd fellows of the baser sort (ignorant; inferior), and gathered a company, and set all the city on an uproar, and assaulted the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people. And when they found them not, they drew Jason and certain brethren unto the rulers of the city, crying, These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also; Whom Jason hath received: and these all do contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, one Jesus." {Acts 17:5-7}

Paul was charged with the political crime of doing contrary to the decrees of Caesar and setting up another king - very serious charges indeed.

Anther example is this one which started out in Jerusalem.

"For we have found this man a pestilent fellow (defamation of character), and a mover of sedition ..." {Acts 24:5}

"In his speech, Tertullus charged Paul with crimes which, if proved, would have resulted in his conviction for high treason against the government." {AA 420.1}

As to Paul's final imprisonment they still charged him with the same charge, only with a much more heinous character. We read,

"The Jews brought against Paul the old charges of sedition and heresy, and both Jews and Romans accused him of instigating the burning of the city." {AA 494.2}

Thus we see the seriousness of these charges brought against Paul. It might compare to a charge today of leveling half the city of New York; that is how serious they were.

The Apostle John was accused of the following, "John was accordingly summoned to Rome to be tried for his faith. Here before the authorities the apostle's doctrines were misstated."

Here we have the false religious charges.

"False witnesses accused him of teaching seditious heresies. By these accusations his enemies hoped to bring about the disciple's death." {AA 569.3}

False Charges Leveled During the Reformation

Early English reformers had similar charges brought against them.

They were "... hunted as foes of the church and traitors to the realm..." {GC88 94.1}

Charges Brought Against Martin Luther

"Not content with this victory, Aleander labored with all the power and cunning at his command to secure Luther's condemnation. With a persistence worthy of a better cause, he urged the matter upon the attention of princes, prelates, and other members of the assembly, accusing the reformer of sedition, rebellion, impiety, and blasphemy." {GC88 147.1}

Over and over again, Reformation time Protestants were charged with political crimes when they were being persecuted for their faith.

This was probably because of the persecutions Francis I. conducted against the Protestants in France. We read, "Hardly had Francis I. concluded his penitential procession, when he again turned to the Protestant princes of Germany and attempted to resume his negotiations with them. They not unnaturally asked of him an explanation of his recent proceedings. Why so anxious to court the favor of the Protestants of Germany when he was burning the Protestants of France? Where there two true faiths in the world, to create a realm on the west of the Rhine, and the religion of Wittenberg on the east of the river? But the king was ready with his excuse and his excuse was that of almost all persecutors of every age, `the king had not been burning Lutherans but executing traitors,' if those he had put to death had invited foreign sentiment. It was not for their religion but for their sedition that they had been punished. Such was the excuse which Francis gave to the German princes in his letter of the 15th of February." [Wylie, J.A. (1808-1890), History of Protestantism, Vol. 2, p. 207.] The Bible teaches, "Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages."Luke 3:14.

In the last days these type of charges will again be brought against the people of God.

"There will come a time when, because of our advocacy of Bible truth, we shall be treated as traitors." {6T 394.2}

"Those who honor the Bible Sabbath will be denounced as enemies of law and order, as breaking down the moral restraints of society, causing anarchy and corruption, and calling down the judgments of God upon the earth. Their conscientious scruples will be pronounced obstinacy, stubbornness, and contempt of authority. They will be accused of disaffection toward the government. Ministers who deny the obligation of the divine law will present from the pulpit the duty of yielding obedience to the civil authorities as ordained of God. In legislative halls and courts of justice, commandment-keepers will be misrepresented and condemned. A false coloring will be given to their words; the worst construction will be put upon their motives." {GC88 592.1}

For God's people the work of preparation must be based on the Word of God. We cannot base it on emotions. We must search our hearts and examine everything and if something is wrong, correct it right away. However, at the same time it is a dangerous thing to take opposition as a sign that we are doing the wrong thing and begin to doubt whether or not the Lord has been leading us. It is exceedingly dangerous to do that.

But some, upon meeting opposition might be influenced by charges. We read,

"As the opposition rises to a fiercer height, the servants of God are again perplexed; for it seems to them that they have brought the crisis." That means God's people will encounter such experiences. We will be wondering and it may seem to us that we brought the crisis upon ourselves. How will we stand when we are hit with such a trial and we are tempted to wonder, have we done the right thing?

Should we take such a strong stand? Should we continue standing as we have? How will we be able to stand when such a trial comes upon us?

The answer is in the continuation of this quote:

"... But conscience and the Word of God assure them that their course is right; and although the trials continue, they are strengthened to bear them. The contest grows closer and sharper, but their faith and courage rise with the emergency. Their testimony is, "We dare not tamper with God's Word, dividing his holy law, calling one portion essential and another non-essential, to gain the favor of the world. The Lord whom we serve is able to deliver us. Christ has conquered the powers of earth; and shall we be afraid of a world already conquered?" {GC88 609.2}

There are many parallels and indications about the birth, life and sacrificial death of Jesus Christ throughout the Bible. One important aspect may be to realize that the virgin birth of Jesus was not the only miraculous birth we find in the Bible. Other amazing birth accounts are the birth of Ishmael and Isaac.

Ever wandered about the puzzling differences in names and number of ancestors as we find them in Matthew chapter 1 and in Luke chapter 3? The explanation is fairly simple to understand without having to repeat all the names. All we need to look at are the last two or three names.

In Matthew we have 26 generations from David to Jesus through the line of Joseph, his stepfather (not a true paternal line), and perhaps incidentally this also includes the royal line of Solomon (Solomon>Rehoboam). Here we have then Jesus as the son of his "stepfather" Joseph. That means, Joseph was not his birth father, only the father who raised him up - Compare Matthew 1:16.[800]

Jacob > Joseph > Jesus

In Luke chapter 3 we have 42 generations from David to Jesus in reverse order using the maternal line (the legal line) of descendants. Then we have Jesus presented as the stepson of Joseph, the son-in-law of Heli.

Jesus > Joseph the son-in-law of > Heli

Therefore, Heli was the father of Mary and these genealogies used the word "father" for father by birth as well as for "step-father".

The number of names being more in Luke from David to Jesus is so for the same reason. The family line of Mary had more members. They may have lived shorter lives or married younger over that span of time.

Why does the Bible give the genealogy these two ways? Because they wanted to show to the people without a doubt that Jesus was of a line of sinners, both, on his stepfather's side and his mother's side. That is important because Jesus never sinned. That is how he could be the Savior of all mankind who ever lived. He died already for all. The sins of all people who ever lived were laid upon him. [Some say that for Jesus to qualify as the Saviour He also needed to be of both lines of descendants, the royal (Matthew) and the legal line (Luke 3:31: Nathan).] Those who believe that and accept him as their savior and choose to live like he did, then repent from their sins and imitate his life of not sinning will be able to better their life, live happier and be saved at the end of time.

Most Christians have only part of the truth as taught in the Bible. Most want to go to heaven on their own terms. They want God to accept them as they are without changing their life from a life of continuing in sinning.

The Bible teaches that the glory of God is to sinners a consuming fire. When God ends the reign of sin in this world, when he comes in the clouds, only those who accepted Jesus as their savior will be able to stand on their feet and welcome Him. All people have only two choices: For or against God.

God will end the reign of sin in this world soon. We do not have much time left.

[500] When America abandons Christ's principle of conversion of one heart at a time, and goes to the government for help, they abandon our constitutional rights (freedom of religion (1st Amendment Bill of Rights), free speech, press, assembly and petition for redress of grievances) brought on by profligate sinners and bringing out other sinners to heap sin on top of sin and hope with it to make the country Christian - instead America will become the lamb speaking like the beast. "The framers of the Constitution recognized the eternal principle that man's relation with his God is above human legislation, and his rights of conscience inalienable. Reasoning was not necessary to establish this truth; we are conscious of it in our own bosoms. It is this consciousness which, in defiance of human laws, has sustained so many martyrs in tortures and flames. They felt that their duty to God was superior to human enactments, and that man could exercise no authority over their consciences. It is an inborn principle which nothing can eradicate." [Congressional documents (U.S.A.), serial No. 200, document No. 271.] Basically this statement underscores that the original constitution of the US of America contains some important truths. Evil forces are trying to abolish them and will succeed, but not for long.
The United States were established on the principle of `separation of church and state' with full civil and religious liberty. (What the opposite looks like you can read about here.) --- Thankfully this principle of civil and religious liberty was incorporated in the constitution of the United States of America.[260] We find it in the `Bill of Rights' which are 14 amendments to the Constitution of the United States which was ratified December 15, 1791. Among those amendments was the first amendment to the Constitution of the United States. We read it now and observe its three clauses. They are known as (1) `the establishment clause,' (illustrated by Dan.3); (2) `the free exercise clause' (illustr. by Dan. 6); and (3) `the civil liberties clause.' Let us read it:

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof - or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances." Rev. 13:11.

We ask, `What part of making no law respecting establishment of religion ... you don't understand? --- ... It also does not say, `Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of a church ... like the religious right tries to interpret this amendment. They say, well, the framers of the constitution meant, the government cannot establish any church but it can treat all churches equally. - That is not what the first amendment says. It does not say, `Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of a religion or church, it says "respecting the establishment of religion." That is any religion.
The framers of the Constitution also knew the Book of Daniel and how it describes what caused persecutions in Babylon and Persia.

1. Abraham
   
2. Isaac
   
3. Jacob
   
4. Judas
   
5. Phares
   
6. Esrom
   
7. Aram
   
8. Aminadab
   
9. Naason
   
10. Salmon
    
11. Booz
    
12. Obed
    
13. Jesse
    
14. David: Total so far = 14 generations
    
15. Solomon
    
16. Roboam
    
17. Abia
    
18. Asa
    
19. Josaphat/Jehoshaphat
    
20. Joram/Jehoram - But see 2. Kings 8:24. There was an Ahaziah in Israel and later in Judah.
    4 generations in between in OT: Joram>Ahaziah>Joash>Amaziah
21. Ozias
    
22. Joatham
    
23. Achaz
    
24. Ezekias
    
25. Manasses
    
26. Amon
    
27. Josias
    
28. Jechonias: Total up to here = another 14 generations, his name there twice
    
29. Salathiel
    
30. Zerobabel
    
31. Abiud
    
32. Eliakim
    
33. Azor
    
34. Sadoc
    
35. Achim
    
36. Eliud
    
37. Eleazar
    
38. Matthan
    
39. Jacob
    
40. Joseph married Mary
    
41. Jesus: Total to Jesus = 13 generations

1. Adam
   
2. Seth
   
3. Enos
   
4. Cainan
   
5. Maleleel
   
6. Jared
   
7. Enoch
   
8. Mathusala
   
9. Lamech
   
10. Noe/Noah
    
11. Sem
    
12. Arphaxad
    
13. Cainan
    
14. Sala
    
15. Heber
    
16. Phalec
    
17. Ragau
    
18. Saruch
    
19. Nachor
    
20. Thara
    

1. Abraham
   
2. Isaac
   
3. Jacob
   
4. Juda
   
5. Phares
   
6. Esrom
   
7. Aram
   
8. Aminadab
   
9. Naason
   
10. Salmon
    
11. Booz
    
12. Obed
    
13. Jesse
    
14. David
    
15. Nathan
    
16. Mattatha
    
17. Menan
    
18. Melea
    
19. Eliakim
    
20. Jonan
    
21. Joseph
    
22. Simeon
    
23. Levi
    
24. Matthat
    
25. Jorim
    
26. Eliezer
    
27. Jose
    
28. Er
    
29. Elmodam
    
30. Cosam
    
31. Addi
    
32. Melchi
    
33. Neri
    
34. Salathiel
    
35. Zerobabel
    
36. Rhesa
    
37. Joanna
    
38. Juda
    
39. Joseph
    
40. Semei
    
41. Mattathias
    
42. Maath
    
43. Nagge
    
44. Esli
    
45. Naum
    
46. Amos
    
47. Mattathias
    
48. Joseph
    
49. Janna
    
50. Melchi
    
51. Levi
    
52. Matthat
    
53. Heli
    
54. Joseph married Mary
    
55. Jesus

[300] The Bible texts from the top on down are found in Matthew chapter 20.