What do
Noah’s Ark, Jesus’ Miracles in John’s gospel, and the New Jerusalem have in
Common?
Joseph
Presiding at Meal with the Egyptians & his Brethren
The “Wonderful Numberer” (aka “Palmoni”—Heb.
or “that certain saint” or “messenger”)[1] (Note: All footnotes are found at bottom of this article--manually accessed.)–found
in Daniel 8:13, we affirm, is none other than “His Name shall be called
Wonderful” (Isa. 9:6)—the pre-incarnate Son Whose glory always was but Who
obtained glory as a man for our salvation . . . “O Father, glorify Me
together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world
was” (John 17:5).
The figures of Noah, Jacob, Joseph—the miracles of Jesus in John’s gospel—the writings of Peter, as well as those of John in the Revelation have much in common in the unveiling of the Mystery of God’s designs to declare His glory, and to defeat His Foe in utilizing humankind to “crush the serpent’s [Satan’s] head” (Gen. 3:15; Rom. 16:20). He did and is doing this through Christ’s incarnation, human living, redemption, justification, sanctification and ultimate glorification through His death (His cross), resurrection, and ascension . . . in sum, through the Person and Work of the Deliverer, the Messiah: Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
“17” – Why Joseph & Jacob and the 153?
It is somewhat peculiar that
Joseph was taken as a slave, and imprisoned in Egypt when he was precisely 17
years of age; likewise, that Jacob/Israel during the famine of 7 years came into
Egypt and was there for 17 years:
“Joseph,
being seventeen years old . . . so the brothers pulled Joseph up and lifted him
out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver .
. . And they took Joseph to Egypt” (Gen. 37:2, 28) . . . “And
Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years” (Gen. 47:28).
When Jesus, with Peter, caught
the 153 fish at the Sea of Galilee in resurrection—it was His eighth and final
miracle in the gospel of John (John 21:11 – “. . . full of large fish, one
hundred and fifty-three . . ..”).
Now few, if any, of the early Church Fathers conjectured much about
these 153 fish; however, then speculation began to develop over this somewhat
unique specificity we find that Augustine of Hippo did have something to say:
“Augustine of Hippo argued that the
significance lay in the fact that 153 is the sum of the first 17 integers (i.e.
153 is the 17th triangular
number), with 17 representing the combination of divine grace (the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit)
and law (the Ten Commandments). Theologian D. A. Carson discusses
this and other interpretations and concludes that ‘if the Evangelist has some
symbolism in mind connected with the number 153, he has hidden it well’, while
other scholars note that ‘no symbolic significance for the number of 153 fish
in John 21:11 has received widespread support.’” (Source: Wikipedia)
Consequently:
1
+ 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 6 + 7 + 8 + 9 + 10 + 11 + 12 + 13 + 14 + 15 + 16 +17
= 153
So . . . it would appear that “17”
is somehow connected to 153 is some heretofore mysterious fashion unbeknown to
virtually everyone! Conjecture
abounds. The number set “153” was most
definitely connected to the ancients but no one really knows why and simply
used by the likes of Archimedes as the numerator in the Vesica Piscis (“sign
of the fish”—Peter, a fisher of men, etc.) as seen below.
In my studies I discovered that
(hang on for the ride, however, it is very scenic) . . .
The number 153 is associated with the geometric shape known as the Vesica Piscis or Mandorla. Archimedes, in his Measurement of a Circle, referred to this ratio (153/265), as constituting the “measure of the fish,” this ratio being an imperfect representation of 1/√3. [2]
Also, Vesica Piscis
literally means the “bladder of a fish.”
Thus, below, the darkened area (width or left to right at the center) is
153 and the length (top to bottom of the darkened area is 265—whatever measurement
you are using that is its ratio or 153:265.
I was somewhat intrigued by using
the Hebrew Sacred Cubit’s 2.1 Ft. * 12 inches = 252 inches as the improbable denominator
instead of 265 and discovered a most fascinating hypothetical within this
153:252 ratio:
153/252
Simplified
=
17/28 in
simplest fraction form [3]
That
is: 153/252 = 0.607142857~ or 17/28 =
0.607142857~
This 17/28 has a striking
resemblance to 12 * 12 * 12 = 1728 or the measurements of the 12,000 furlongs
of the New Jerusalem insofar as a cubed/square bearing 12,000 furlongs in her
length, breadth, and height are equal (Rev. 21:16) or 12,000 * 12,000 * 12,000
= 1,728,000,000,000,000 (One quadrillion, seven hundred twenty-eight trillion) or 1.728
* 1015.
Likewise, in viewing this 17/28 (i.e., 153/252) I noticed that
it is fractionally divided, in that if the numerator (17) and the denominator
(28) are summed we have:
17 + 28 =
45
This “45” as we shall find out
later in our brevity is “owned” by the Deliverer, the Christ. The interaction between the “153” and the “252”
producing this combination of number sets (17 and 28) and, subsequently,
producing a sum of “45” is somewhat remarkable—as well as 1728 being the
capacity/volume of the New Jerusalem’s 12 * 12 * 12 = 1728.
The 200 Cubits?
So, could
the “153” somehow be related to the measurements of the New Jerusalem? Why does John give this peculiar distance of
200 Cubits from the shoreline where the fish were caught?
“But the
other disciples came in the little boat (for they were not far from land, but
about two hundred cubits), dragging the net with fish . . . Simon Peter
went up and dragged the net to land, full of large fish, one hundred and
fifty-three . . .” (John 21:8, 11).
Why did John add this incidental
parenthetical into his narrative; of course, meaningless? I don’t think so, for
the following reason: The disciples who
brought their fish to shore were eventually assisted in the effort by Peter but
when they got to shore Jesus was already there, of course, and then as they all
came to land, behold:
“Then, as
soon as they had come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid on
it, and bread. Jesus said to them, ‘Bring
some of the fish which you have just caught’” (John 21:9-10).
Moreover, Jesus shared His barbequed
fish with their fish: SHARING, now isn’t
that great fellowship? Incidentally, 200
cubits or 200 * 2.1 feet = 4,200 feet or “42.” Could the disciples in their
little boat with a distance of 4,200 feet from the shoreline be representative
of something far more significant related to “42?”
This amazing “42” . . . let’s
consider: Could it somehow be connected
to other “42s” found in the Christian Scriptures—especially, John’s book of Revelation,
where we read of similar numerical marvels such as the 1,260 days (1,260 days ÷
30 prophetic days in a month = 42 months), 42 months, three-and-one-half years
or 3 ½ days or time, times and half a time?
Are not these 42 months or 1,260 days related to the prophesying of the
Two Witnesses wherein “. . . they will prophesy one thousand two hundred and
sixty days, clothed in sackcloth” (Rev. 11:3)? The price of their testimony leads to the
trampling asunder of the Holy City for 42 months (Rev. 11:2—the latter half of
Daniel’s 70th Week). This in
turn equates to the persecution of the saints for 42 months (Rev. 13:5) by the
Beast from the Sea/Abyss?
Likewise, it can readily be
ascertained that the “earthly ministry of Yeshua” was for 42 months or 3 ½ years.[4] Could these 153 fish and the 200 cubits be connected
somehow? I think so. Certainly, the 42 months or the “42” could readily
connote the Testimony of Jesus that would be the testimony of God’s people:
“John . .
. who bore witness to the Word of God, and to the Testimony of Jesus
Christ . . . [John] was on the island that is called Patmos
for the Word of God and for the Testimony of Jesus Christ . . . I am
your fellow servant, and of your brethren who have the Testimony of
Jesus . . . for the Testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy”
(Rev. 1:2, 9; 19:10). [Note: The word “testimony” is likewise related to
the same Greek root word for “witness” or “prophesying” as in “martyrdom.”]
It is not a quantum leap to
conclude that the “42” (i.e., 200 cubits) of the disciples was indicative of
the very Testimony of Jesus to be given by them—a Testimony which eventually
cost them their all?
153 Gallons
of Water turned into Wine at the Wedding in Cana
The plot thickens when we discover
that Jesus’ first miracle at the Wedding in Cana of Galilee taken from the
original King James Bible (John 2:6) uses this quaint measurement, the “firkin”
. . .
“And there were set there six
waterpots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing
two or three firkins apiece.”
Literally the “sum” turns out to
be 2 + 3 + 2 +3 + 2 +3 (measures) for a total of 15 firkin or measures. The New KJV Study Bible indicates that a “firkin”
(pronounced as “furkin”) is 10.2 American gallons. An article written in 2010 by Dr. Stephen Jones
of “God’s Kingdom Ministries” indicates the measurement of these firkin in
today’s American gallon or the British Imperial gallon is equal to a total of 15
firkin (the measure of the American firkin is equal to 10.2 gal. per firkin) *
10.2 gal. = 153 American gallons or 3 firkin per each * 6 pots (British
imperial) = 8.5 gal. * 18 (3 firkin per water pot) = 153 British Imperial gallons.[5]
Thus, the first miracle of Jesus
of the eight recorded miracles in John’s gospel—with the miracle of the 153
fish in John 21—speaks of an additional “153” whereupon if we were to add the
two sets of “153” together we would discover an interesting sum of these “bookend
miracles” to be 153 + 153 = 306. We will
return to this mathematical fractal/resemblance of 360° of a circle without
beginning or ending representing the Eternal God without beginning or ending—suffice
it now to say that we have in the 2 sets of 17 and these two sets of 153 some
fascinating “bookends.”
Determining “153” in math we can
also be seen in “factorial” numbers 1!, 2!, 3!, 4! and 5!.
Factorial is the product of all positive
integers less than or equal to the number you start with. You put a !
after it to show its factorial. So here’s an example, starting off with
the number five.
5! is 5 x 4 x 3 x 2 x 1 = 120,
4! is 4 x 3 x 2 x 1 = 24,
3! is 3 x 2 x 1 = 6,
2! is 2 x 1 = 2,
1! is 1 x 1 = 1
So five factorial is 120, expressed as this, 5! = 5 x 4 x 3 x 2 x
1.
The sum of five factorial, 5! + 4! + 3! + 2! + 1! is 153 or 120 + 24 + 6 + 2 + 1 = 153
Noah’s Ark and the “153s”
I did an
article some time ago and included this somewhat busy diagram of Noah’s Ark
with its sundry measurements—if you cannot see “153s” all over it, it’s because
you do not want to see them?
Although there are a lot of other
interesting measurements in this drawing—at least the “153s” can be viewed in
abundance. In Peter’s epistle he draws a
definitive connection between the 8 souls saved (Note: Jesus’ 8 miracles in John’s gospel with the
eighth miracle concluding His ministry and the 153 fish caught at the SEA of
Galilee), to wit:
“. . .
who formerly were disobedient, when once the Divine longsuffering waited in the
days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight
souls, were saved through water. There
is also an antitype which now saves us—baptism (not the removal of the filth of
the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the
resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 3:20-22) . . . “. .
. and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a
preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of ungodly . . ..”
(2 Peter 2:5).
Noah’s Ark, as Peter says, was an
antitype which now saves us—for out of baptism (the water) comes the
resurrection of Jesus Christ from the death waters—this was confirmed by
Genesis 8:4 wherein:
“Then the
ark rested in the seventh month, the seventeenth day of the month, on
the mountains of Ararat.”
The dry land “surfaced” out of
the death waters in this “seventh month” on the 17th day of that
month, which on the Hebrew Sacred Calendar was, at the time, the month of Nisan
in that the month of Tishrei was considered the First Month on the Hebrew
Sacred Calendar but when the first Passover was inaugurated at the time of the
Exodus, then the month of Nisan was switched to the first month instead of the
seventh month (Exodus 12:1-11); therefore, the 17th day of Nisan on
the Hebrew Sacred Calendar began the Feast of Firstfruits:
“Speak to
the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘When you come into the land which I
give to you, and reap its harvest, then you shall bring a sheaf of the
FIRSTFRUITS of your harvest to the priest.
He shall wave the sheaf before the Lord, to be accepted on your behalf;
on the day after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it” (Lev.
23:10).
That
would be on a Sunday, the day after Saturday.[6] No wonder then that 17 Nisan and Noah’s Ark
rising above the waters and landing on land on the 17th day of 7th
month, now exposed from the waters of death/baptism, brings about this
conclusion:
“But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the
Firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since by man came death, by
Man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in
Christ all shall be made alive. But each one in his own order: Christ the
Firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming” (1 Cor.
15:20-23).
Christ is our Feast of
Firstfruits—He is the firstborn among many brethren—we follow in His
train! It is His death and resurrection—our
Passover, without sin (i.e., the “spotless Lamb of God”) as our perfect
sacrifice (Who alone can suffice the righteous requirements of the Law); thus
our Feast of Unleavened Bread (15 Nisan) and our Feast of Firstfruits (17
Nisan). I put together a chart so you
can see our Lord’s Passion Week more clearly and the sequence of these various dates—I
know this is highly controversial; however, my contentions are just as viable
as the next—and I humbly think mine can be argued quite successfully:[7]
My good friend and colleague, Dr.
Gavin Finley, has done a yeoman’s job of deciphering these calculations as
well. Although Dr. Finley and I “may”
differ on the year 32 A.D. for him and 33 A.D. for me . . . as well as the
commencement of the week (Finley being 11 Nisan/Sunday instead of 10 Nisan/Sunday—our
overall time sequence is similar (I placing our Savior’s Passover in 33 A.D.)—
in sum we are wholly in sync with these matters.
I had settled on 10 Nisan as the date of His Triumphal Entry (Sunday) for other biblical reasons:
(1) Joshua 4:19: "Now the people [i.e., the 12 Tribes of Israel] came up from the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and they camped in Gilgal on the east border of Jericho." Thus, entry into the Good Land [also as a type of Christ--Hebrews 4:1-13] took place as an expression of His Triumphal Entry on the 10th of Nisan--according to the book of Hebrews: "For if Joshua had given them rest, then He would not afterward have spoken of another day. There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His" (Heb. 4:8-10). It is altogether clear that entering into the Good Land, the Land of Canaan, is an archetype of entering into His Rest, which is Christ Himself, our Compassionate High Priest (Hebrews 4:14-16).
(2) Ezekiel 40:1-2: "In the twenty-fifth year of our captivity, at the BEGINNING OF THE YEAR, on the TENTH DAY of the month, in the fourteenth year after the city was captured, on the very same day the hand of the LORD was upon me; and He took me there. In the visions of God He took me into the land of Israel and set me on a very high mountain; on it toward the south was something like the structure of a city." Ezekiel's Vision of the Holy District (Ezekiel 40-48) commences with the statement of 10 Nisan--whereupon He saw the STRUTURE OF A CITY. This in turn leads us through a multitude of descriptions and measurements which confirm that the city Ezekiel saw was the HOLY CITY of John's revelation--the New Jerusalem. Ezekiel saw the "earthly manifestation" of the "heavenly" New Jerusalem--it's time to think multi-dimensionally whereupon "heaven and earth" are linked together by Jacob's Ladder and the angels "ascending and descending upon the Son of Man" - Jesus links heaven and earth together as Son of God (bringing God to man), King of Israel, as the Son of Man (John 1:49-51) - bringing Man into God!
A Closer look at the 2 Sets of 17
Yes, we can see in the “17” the “153”
and from thence Noah’s Ark (the “17” day and the “153s” found all over Noah’s
Ark and the tie-ins found in John with Jesus’ first and eighth miracles—again,
pending the meaning of the 306 for a final conclusion of the matter.
As I pondered over these two sets
of 17 (Joseph and Jacob), I realized that Joseph is truly an archetype of
Christ who was rejected by His brethren, thrown into the pit and was
resurrected to the throne—then he not only saved all the Egyptians but ultimately
saved all his brothers whereupon 70 souls were brought to Goshen, Egypt
including Jacob/Israel who did abide there for another 17 years.
So, how might these two sets of
17 reflect upon God’s Eternal Purpose—Israel being the name of the “transformation”
of Jacob from “Usurper” to “Prince with God” and ultimately we are engaged with
the entitlements of the “Commonwealth of Israel” (Eph. 2:12) and of “the New Creation
. . . the Israel of God” (Gal. 6:16); and ultimately “Until the fullness of the
Nations has come in . . . and so all Israel will be delivered, as it is
written: ‘The Deliverer will come out
of Zion, and He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; for this is My covenant
with them, when I take away their sins’” (Rom. 11:25-27)?
It appears to me that somehow, therefore,
these 2 sets of 17 have everything to do with the New Jerusalem—the ultimate
manifestation and expression of God’s glory and
authority/administration/Kingdom, the New Jerusalem (in Resurrection, Noah’s 17th
day)—Revelation 21:16-17 with her measurements of 12,000 furlongs and her “144-cubit”
wall and/or each of her six faces (of a cube) being 12 * 12 = 144 (dropping
zeroes to see the “12” and the abundance
of “144s” more clearly). So, where could
this “144” be in these two sets of 17—since Joseph is an archetype of Christ and
Israel of God’s transformed people who defeat His Foe?
How about
this?
17 * 17 =
289
2 * 8 * 9
= 144
“289” FACTORIAL !
We’ve already discussed the sum of
the FACTORIAL(s) of 1!, 2!, 3!, 4!, and 5! will add to “153” but what is truly
amazing is not only does 17 * 17 = 289 but the FACTORIAL of 2! and 8! and 9! produce
the following:
2! is 2 x 1 = 2
8! is 8 x 7 x 6 x 5 x 4 x 3 x 2 x 1 = 40,320
9! is 9 x 8 x 7 x 6 x 5 x 4 x 3 x 2
x 1 = 362,880
These number sets derived by
multiplying 17 * 17 = 289 give us some spectacular number sets in and of
themselves in that “2” can simply connote “2 sets” of 40,320 (8!) which can be
seen as “432” which is the fractal/resemblance of the Sun’s radius of 432,000 miles and 362,880 (9!) is 362,800 ÷ 144 (Wall of the New Jerusalem in cubits) =
2,520 which in turn is a fractal of the Hebrew Sacred Cubit’s 25.20 inches or
2.1 feet (and for the numeric challengers among us) . . . it is well known that
the base perimeter of the Great Pyramid of Giza is 3,024 feet (or 756 Ft. base
edge * 4 = 3,024 feet) X 12 inches = 36,288 perimeter inches.
The sum of these factorial numbers 2! + 8! + 9! adds to 403,202 or 403,200 * 2 = 806,400 or “864” which is a fractal/resemblance of the diameter of earth’s sun: 864,000 miles. This, of course, comports with the "theological fact" that the New Jerusalem has no need of the sun "for the Lamb is her Light" (Rev. 21:23). And, if we take the appearance of the Holy City to be that of a "cube" then it would have 6 faces (top/bottom and 4 sides) each bearing (removing zero) @ 12 * 12 = 144 * 6 faces = 864 which is a fractal/resemblance of our sun's diameter adding a great deal of "theological credence" to the return of Christ in glory found in Malachi 4:2:
"But to you who fear My name the SUN of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings."
. . . along with the Woman of Revelation 12 who possesses no righteousness of her own but who is "clothed with the SUN" (Rev. 12:1).
And so, it would appear that “17” is exceedingly impactful in its intent and interpretation . . .leading us directly to the New Jerusalem's "144."
The “45”
I know,
when I saw this I was somewhat flabbergasted by its simplicity. What is even more amazing is what then
happens to 144 and this peculiar two sets of 153 found in John’s gospel to sum
to 306 . . . it appears their combination has a profound meaning as well:
144 + 306
= 450 or “45”
We know the measurements of the
Ark of Noah to be:
1 cubit
(window) * 50 cubit (width) * 300 cubit (length) * 30 cubit (height) =
450,000
cubic cubits (volume/capacity)
Or
“45”
Even if one were not to know the
measurement of the Hebrew Sacred Cubit—it still comes to 450,000 cubic cubits (capacity
of Noah’s ark). Stands to mathematical
reason then, and biblical logic, that Noah’s Ark is/was Christ . . . where else
can we see this “45” as a confirmation of proof positive of this measurement?
I remembered our blessed brother,
Dr. J. Vernon McGee, who honestly and forthrightly spoke of Daniel’s number
sets in Daniel 12:11-12 where there are 1,290 days of desolation and 1,335 days
of blessing: “Blessed is he who waits
and comes to the 1,335th day.”
Dr. McGee’s answer as to the meaning of the 1,290 days of desolation and
the 1,335 days of blessing went something like this: “I have no idea!”
At least he was attempting to be
honest and simply informed us listening to “Through the Bible” broadcasts that
when the Lord wanted us to know He’d make it clear to all.
Well, it would appear that those
who would witness the BLESSING and who had waited for it would be those who
were beyond the “days of Desolation’s” 1,290 days and moving into the 1,335 days
of blessing:
1,335
days less 1,290 days = 45 days
Could it be “until the time of
the end” (Dan. 12:4) whereof Daniel is writing, that after the period of
desolations, purifying persecution, judgment—and, if you would, the Wrath of
God and the Lamb thrown in for biblical measure—that the prophecy of Daniel
9:24 will be fulfilled in total?
“Seventy
weeks are determined for your people and for your holy city, to finish the transgression,
to make an end of sins, to make reconciliation for iniquity, to bring in
everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, AND TO ANOINT THE
MOST HOLY PLACE.”
Yeshua said:
“For I
say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in
the name of the LORD!’” (Matt. 23:39)
Is this not the time of BLESSING?
Likewise, is this when “All Israel
shall be delivered?” For as Luke’s gospel says:
“And
Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are
fulfilled” (Luke 21:24).
There are a multitude of
interpretations concerning this verse in Luke’s gospel—but one thing is perfectly
clear: The “times of the Nations”
trampling asunder Jerusalem will have been ended—sure sounds like the “fullness
of the Nations be come in” found in Romans 11.
So, could this “45” be the “DAYS
OF BLESSING”—that is, upon whom the Anointed One—the Most Holy Place—the commencement
of Millenarian Rule and Reign of the Son of David commence? Therefore, it is Christ Who is our “45” based
upon Noah’s full capacity and Daniel’s “45 days of blessing.”
SUMMARY:
Therefore,
the 17, 45, 144, 153 are all marvelous number sets found in the Scriptures
revealing the majesty, glory, and redemptive ministry of our God and Savior,
Jesus Christ.
He is our
Joseph who saves us all; He transforms and delivers “All Israel” (Rom. 11:26;
Gen. 46:26-27; 47:23-25—including the Egyptians) under the polity of the
Commonwealth of Israel (Eph. 2:12)—our “17”; He is our Ark Who saves us from
the judgment/waters of death and brings us into His Resurrection (again, our 17th)—bringing
many sons and daughters to glory as our Hope of Glory (our Feast of Firstfruits,
the Firstborn among many brethren—17th of Nisan). He is our “45” (Noah’s Ark and Daniel 12:12
unto the Blessed 1,335th Day); and He has destined us to be His
Ultimate Bride and New Jerusalem—our “144” through the “153” manifested at the
Wedding of Cana of Galilee in John 2 and the eternal state of His Eighth
miracle in John 21—again, our 153.
Together the 144 (12 *12) + 306 (153 + 153) is equal to “450” or our “45—yes,
the New Jerusalem (144) and the Eternal God (360 or 306) together cry out: “Blessed is He (the 1,335th
day or “45” beyond the 1,290th Day of Desolation) Who comes in
the Name of the Lord – HOSANNA!” For now, “Blessed is he who waits, and
comes to the one thousand three hundred and thirty-five days!” (Dan. 12:12)
[2] Ref. (Wikipedia) – Also that: The mathematical ratio of the height of the vesica piscis to the width across its center is the square root of 3, or 1.7320508... (since if straight lines are drawn connecting the centers of the two circles with each other and with the two points where the circles intersect, two equilateral triangles join along an edge). The ratios 265:153 = 1.7320261... and 1351:780 = 1.7320513... are two of a series of approximations to this value, each with the property that no better approximation can be obtained with smaller whole numbers. Archimedes of Syracuse, in his Measurement of a Circle, uses these ratios as upper and lower bounds:[3]
[3] Reference: Calculator 153/252 Simplified
[4] It is altogether most challenging to thwart the efforts to calculate the 3 ½ years of Jesus’ earthly ministry by the likes of this research found at Bibleview @ http://bibleview.org/en/timelines/ministryofjesus/ - indeed, if the ministry began in approximately 29 AD cir. the Day of Atonement, then 3 months of ministry would have brought us into the year 30 AD + 31 AD + 32 AD = 3 years and 3 months + 3 more months into 33 AD = 3 years and 6 months.
[5] Of course, in those days they did not know what a "gallon" was. They used firkins. A firkin was the equivalent of 10.2 gallons (American), or 8.5 Imperial gallons (British). So when the KJV reads "two or three firkins apiece," the NASB rounds it off to twenty or thirty gallons.
Likewise, the “2 and 3 measures” can be read as 2 in this pot and 3 in that pot—alternating so that 2 + 3 + 2 + 3 + 2 + 3 = 15 firkin: 15 * 10.2 American Gallons = 153 American Gallons. (Studies by Doug Krieger)
[6] Please see Dr. Gavin Finley’s outstanding article found @ http://endtimepilgrim.org/firstfruits.htm
“The Feast of Firstfruits came on the day following the Sabbath, (the weekly or 7th day Sabbath), that came after Passover. It was the first day of the week and a workday, a workday to commence the barley harvest. It was a national and congregational celebration by Israel of the Firstfruits of the barley harvest, as the first sheaves of barley were brought up from the fields by the reapers that year. So the agricultural significance of Firstfruits was this first reaping of the barley harvest in the springtime month of Abib, just as the barley became "Abib", that is "ripe". The month of Abib, an agricultural reckoning of the first month of the religious year, was also named the month of Nisan. Nisan was an astronomical reckoning of the first month of the year. It was the first moon that was going to come to fullness after the spring equinox. This celebration of the Firstfruits of the barley harvest had special meaning for the people of Israel as they set the Hebrew calendar for the year and gathered as a people for their special appointed times. But, (as we shall discover), this celebration, this waving of the Firstfruits of the barley harvest before Yehoveh-God, was destined, in the fullness of time, to take on a further much deeper meaning.”
Age Thirty. As mentioned above, Luke says Christ was about thirty when he was baptized after John began his ministry in A.D. 29. The year of A.D. 29 is also indicated because the crucifixion of Christ most likely occurred in the spring of A.D. 33 [30] (with A.D. 31 and 32 astronomically unacceptable), and the Book of John implies that his baptism was about three and a half years before.If Christ was baptized in A.D. 29, one needs only to count back "about thirty" years to arrive at his birth date about 2 B.C. Today it is popular to interpret "about thirty" as meaning "26-34" in order to accommodate a birth date for Christ in 6-5 B.C. However, the early Christian fathers, such as Irenaeus and Epiphanius, accepted the straightforward interpretation that it meant a few months less than thirty. [31]Christ made a point of fulfilling the law of Moses in every detail (Mat. 5:17), which would have included beginning his public ministry at age 30 (Num. 4:3). He apparently began his public ministry at the Passover in A.D. 30 (after his baptism) because 1) his first miracle was done rather secretly "not many days" before that Passover (John 2:9-13); 2) at that time he said, "mine hour is not yet come" (John 2:4), suggesting that the time for his public ministry had not arrived because he was not yet thirty; and 3) he then openly taught and did miracles at Passover (John 2:23), [32] implying that he was then thirty. If so, Christ was born in the spring of 1 B.C., on or shortly before Passover.Passover Birth. A Passover birth for Christ is likely for other reasons. It has already been noted that spring was lambing season when shepherds watched their flocks by night (Luke 2:8), that it would fit the timing of Gabriel's visit to Zacharias (Luke 1:5-13), and that it would explain the crowded inn (Luke 2:7) if his birth was during Passover. [33] This last argument is especially strong because a registration that lasted at least several months would hardly have crowded Bethlehem at any time. On the other hand, Joseph, like all Jewish men before the destruction of the temple, was required to go to Jerusalem for Passover (also Pentecost and Tabernacles, Deut. 16:16), even with Mary so near to giving birth. It would have been logical to visit nearby Bethlehem to register to save making a special trip from Nazareth. The crowdedness suggests that Christ was born at most a day or so before Passover, because travelers would not need to arrive many days early.The birth of Christ in 1 B.C. fits the 2 B.C. timing of the enrollment described by Orosius very well. He assumed that Christ was born in the year the decree was made (2 B.C.), but Luke says the decree was made "in those days" (Luke 2:1), referring back to when John the Baptist had been born about six months earlier in 2 B.C. (Luke 1:26).Thus, it is proposed that Christ was born on, or a day or so before, the Passover of 1 B.C. The day of the Passover sacrifice most likely fell on Thursday, April 8, 1 B.C. The latest day for his birth would be April 9, the Passover feast day, by which he had begun preaching in A.D. 30 (John 2:23). This would mean Christ was born about April 6-9, 1 B.C. on the Julian calendar. Note that the Julian calendar had not been properly implemented, so the day that should have been called April 8, 1 B.C. was actually called April 7; [34] moreover, on our (Gregorian) calendar it would be called April 6. To avoid confusion, this paper uses the usual Julian calendar notation. This paper proposes that Christ was born at Passover, but he also died at Passover (John 19:14), so Christ could have lived an exact number of Jewish lunisolar years. Thus, Proposition 1 above may have been a correct tradition. In fact, St. Augustine may have quoted that tradition when he once said that Christ was crucified "on the same day in which His mother began to have milk."[43] Note that this tradition is consistent with Christ's birth, not his conception, being about the same day as his death. If the church fathers had known the correct Crucifixion date (April 3, A.D. 33) and had counted back in lunisolar years to the birth (instead of the conception) in 1 B.C., they would have arrived at April 8, 1 B.C.
