Multiple Choice Question

The promise was given unto Abraham and his SEED "singular" that SEED being Christ.....not unto seeds.....

Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. He does not say, "And to seeds," as referring to many, but rather to one, "And to your seed," that is, Christ.

G ) Long enough that Pharoah was "gittin' scared" because of their numbers, and implemented his own method of "birth control." Which would have definitely affected the "Holy Priesthood's" bloodline to Christ.
Pharoah, realizing this after Moses' encounter of "Let my people go", made his stand for his god, or gods, against Eyah Asher Eyah. Beings how the "lines had been drawn?" God "hardened" Pharoah's heart! But, beings the adversary's of God against God and His children, are the way they are, and always have been in this current earth/heaven age? God didn't have to work very hard, in His guaranteeing Pharoah's heart would stay that way!

If God had not intervined? Pharoah's acts of "population control" would have wiped Israel off the map.
And, where would we be now?

100 yrs from Abraham’s birth to Isaac’s birth Gen 21:5
60 yrs from Isaac’s birth to Jacob’s birth Gen 25:26
130 yrs from Jacob’s birth to the descent to Egypt Gen 47:9
430 yrs from the descent to Egypt to the exodus Exod 12:40
480 yrs from the exodus to the construction of Solomon’s temple 1 Kgs 6:1

The bible does not say, "30 years not afflicted".
It says they lived in Egypt 430 years. And it says they were enslaved and afflicted in Egypt for 400 years.
However, according to Bible Professor Paul Benware:
Jacob brought his family to Egypt in 1876 BC
joseph died in 1805 BC
Exodus occured 1446 BC

1876 - 1446 = 430 years
1805 - 1446 = 359 years

According to Benware's timeline the Israelites could have only been enslaved for a maximum of
359 years.

This appears to create a conflict within scripture, a conflict between the 400 and 430 years.

to avoid conflict within scripture (conflict between the 400 and 430 years)
Why can't we add the 400 yrs and the 430 yrs to make 830 yrs?
Might it be possible that the Israelites spent 830 yrs in Egypt?

Why would we do that?

Well let me answer your question with a question.

How do we know that the 400 years is part of the 430 years?

Because the law was 430 years after God made covenant with Abraham. We know the promise to Abraham was made outside of Egypt and that the Law was given after the Exodus.

Where are you supposing we stick 400 extra years?

But according to Paul Benware Abraham died in 1990 BC
And the law was given a year after the exodus so that is 1445BC

1990 BC - 1445 BC = 545 years. 545 years does not match up with 430 years which you are citing from Galatians 3:17.

What paul is suggesting that this 430 year period of time falls somewhere between Abraham and the law. He's not implying that this 430 years covers the entire time span from Abraham to the Law.

You asked 'where do we stick the 400 yrs?' We should also ask, "where do we stick the 430 yrs?"
For example the 430 yrs may in fact have came before the 400 yrs.

Timeline of where the 430 yrs and the 400 yrs may fall:

Abraham --> Issac --> Joseph --> [? yrs] --> [430 years] --> [? yrs] --> [400 years] --> [Exodus and law given]

Note: [? yrs] may equal 0 or some other number

A, 😊

The Old Testament is a chronicle of Israel's repeated failure to obey God, of its refusal to keep His commandments and statutes.
It is a repeated pattern where Israel is rewarded for obedience and punished for disobedience.
This pattern appears to have existed since the beginning of Israel's founding.

Now if the Israelites spent 400 yrs being punished by slavery and affliction, where are their iniquities to bring about such a long punishment of slavery and affliction?


Could the 390 yrs and 40 yrs of iniquities that Ezekiel spoke of have preceded their enslavement and affliction for 400 yrs in Egypt?


Now we can see that all the numbers fit into a consistent story.
Israel lived in Egypt exactly 430 years; then lived in iniquity for 390 years and 40 years; after which they were punished with enslavement and affliction for 400 years?

430 yrs + 390 yrs + 40 yrs + 400 yrs = 1260 years total in Egypt.

Broken up this way:
They lived in Egypt for 430 yrs
They lived in iniquity in Egypt for 390 + 40 yrs
and
They were punished with enslavement in Egypt for 400 yrs.
1260 years in total.
And then they were saved.

I choose...H.) Al;l of the above, and none of them simultaneously! Do win the prize?

Oops! Sorry, wrong thread!

who is this person and why should i care what this person says?

The focus would be on the number in that historically true parable. Forty is used to represent the time of testing throughout the bible . Adding zeros as multiples does not change the spiritual meaning hid in those parables.

For instance the lord starts out with fifty . Using the number five to represent all who are redeemed. Moving down in incremates of ten to represent a unknown also used in increment one, ten. hundred and thousand to represent a unknown . Ten in the end of the matter represents all redeemed representing by the fifty in the beginning. .God does not bargain with men in that way. The spiritual understanding must be sought out.

And the Lord said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes. And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes Peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous: wilt thou destroy all the city for lack of five? And he said, If I find there forty and five, I will not destroy it.And he spake unto him yet again, and said, Peradventure there shall be forty found there. And he said, I will not do it for forty's sake. And he said unto him, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Peradventure there shall thirty be found there. And he said, I will not do it, if I find thirty there. And he said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord: Peradventure there shall be twenty found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for twenty's sake. And he said, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: Peradventure ten shall be found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for ten's sake.Genesis 18:26-30

First: Let Us Overview The Problem:
How do you solve the problem where Genesis 15 says 400 years and Exo. 12 says 430 years? Many have advanced various theories or solutions to the twin periods of 'four hundred years' and 'four hundred and thirty years', but when one considers these theories carefully they do not completely satisfy the stated requirements. Therefore, the current theories are lacking.

Second: Let Us Test this Potentially New Theory:
I have put forth a potentially new theory to completely satisfy the stated requirements. As Paul has stated, "test everything and hold fast to what is true". Before you just write off my theory as being in "serious error". Let us test it. Please show me where my theory is in error?

Well I could try to add something that is not there. Or realize All God said was they would be slaves for 400 years.. Which they were. He did not say on the 400th year they would leave, And we should not try to force hm to mean this. Exodus 12 just tells us when they were freed and it was 430 years after. It does nto make Gen wrong, they were there for 400 years.. God just waited another 32 years until he freed them.

don't read to much into the text.

I can see God letting them send 32 more years. but hundreds of years? No. sorry can't do it.

I'm not sure I understand your conclusion. Are you saying that the 400 years are not meant to be taken literally (meaning that 400 years might really mean only 40 years), but that the 430 years are meant to be taken literally (meaning that 430 years means only 430 years)?

So essentially you are saying that the 400 yrs and 430 yrs are the same thing as po-tay-to, po-tah-to.
But didn't Moses write both books? The reason there is a 400 yr and 430 yr problem is because many people do not see this as simply po-tay-to, po-tah-to. Do you have anything else? Can you point to a particular contradiction or error in my proposed theory?

Now I have been taught at my evangelical church, and I have thus far seen that the general consensus among evangelical churches is that the Israelites were enslaved for 360 yrs or less.

http://www.conazarene.org/hp_wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Bible-Timeline.pdf
This church states that Israelites were enslaved from 1800 BC to 1446 BC = 354 yrs of enslavement.

So what I am being taught differs from your statement of 400 yrs, and differs from Gen. 15.
Now I could just apply your po-tay-to, po-tah-to here too.

I could say 400 and 430 yrs... po-tay-to, po-tah-to!
I could say 400 and 354 yrs... po-tay-to, po-tah-to!

But for me this does NOT sit right with me.

who said the whatever evangelical church is right?

Lets stick to the word. we are better that way.