The Bible teaches that the Feast of Tabernacles was to be observed from the 15th to the 22nd day of the 7th month every year. This Feast period is a celebration of the Bible, and points to the completion of the Gospel and the end of the world. In 2011, the 15th day of the 7th month in the Jewish calendar is October 13, and so the Feast this year runs to October 20.
Most of Genesis Chapter 8 is an account of the events of the flood while Noah was on board his huge ark. The flood is also a parable of the final destruction of the world, as referenced in II Peter Chapter 3. In those passages, God is comparing the flood of Noah’s day to the destruction by fire at the end of time. In Verse 8 we read “But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” This Verse is forcefully written in its repetition and unique use of the language. In Genesis 7:4, God tells Noah that he has 7 days until the flood waters begin. Many believe that that means that we had 7,000 years from the date of the flood until the Day of Judgment began. Using information from the Bible, we can show that the flood began in 4990 BC, which would put the day of judgment in the year 2011 (subtract one year because there is no year zero).
Genesis 7:11 tells us that the flood waters began on the 17th day of the 2nd month. In 2011, that would translate from the modern Jewish calendar to May 21, 2011. Revelation 9:5 and 9:10, in focusing on the end times, speak about a 5 month period, thought to be the duration of the “Day of Judgment,” beginning on May 21, and ending right at the Feast of Tabernacles.
“And the waters returned from off the earth continually: and after the end of the 150 days the waters were abated. And the ark rested in the 7th month, on the 17th day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat.” (Genesis 8:3-4). Since the flood started in the 2nd month on the 17th day, God is teaching us that the months in Noah’s day were 30 days long. They would have had to add an extra month every 6 years or so. The parallel here is the 5 months, and in the times since Israel became a nation in 1407 BC, the 17th day of the 7th month is the 3rd day of the Feast of Tabernacles. In 2011, that would be October 15.
The world did not end during the feast after the 5 month period, but Noah’s adventure continued as well. The ark was now grounded, but the judgment process apparently needed more time. In Verse 5, we read “…in the 10th month, on the 1st day of the month, were the tops of the mountains seen.” From the 17th day of the 7th month, when the ark rested, to the 1st day of the 10th month is 74 days, using Noah’s 30 day months. Counting from October 15, we arrive at December 28, 2011.
Following in Verse 6, Noah opened the window at the end of 40 days. The question is, 40 days after what event? He sent out a raven and a dove, but as Verse 9 describes, “But the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot, and she returned unto him into the ark, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth:…“, there was no available land yet. Verse 6 follows Verse 5 in the Bible, but the bird trial had to have occurred before the 1st day of the 10th month, not after, or the birds would have landed on the mountain tops. In actuality, Noah opened the window 40 days after the ark grounded, including the day it stuck on the mountain. Counting from October 15 inclusively, that day referenced to our calendar today would be November 23.
Verses 7-9 read: “And he sent forth a raven, which went forth to and fro, until the waters were dried up from off the earth. Also he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters were abated from off the face of the ground; But the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot, and she returned unto him into the ark...” It looks at first read like Noah opened the window and released the 2 birds November 23 (spiritually in our day). However, Verse 10 gives us a clue otherwise. “And he stayed yet other 7 days; and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark;“. “Other 7 days”? This is the first mention of 7 days. Noah must have opened the window November 23 and waited 7 days for a sign or something, probably on his Sabbath, filled with prayer for guidance. Finally on November 30 he would have released the raven, an animal he couldn’t use for sacrifices or food. When the raven did not return by Dec 7, he would have let the dove go.
Normal expectation would be to assume that the dove came back without any evidence the same day. However, Verse 11 explains things to the contrary when the dove came back the second time: “And the dove came in to him in the evening; and, lo, in her mouth was an olive leaf pluckt off…” The first time the dove came back it had been closer to a week, Dec 14, than a single day, so Noah waited 7 days and sent it out again. When you think about it, if a bird flew for a week straight, wouldn’t you give it a week’s rest?
The dove was sent out the second time on our parallel date of December 21, and came back the same day in the evening with the olive leaf. Noah knew the waters were abating, because now the tree tops were above the water. Of course Noah would give it another 7 days for the land at the base of the trees to be exposed. This time the bird did not return. Verse 5 told us that the mountain tops were above the water line on December 28, and the dove would be departing December 28, explaining why it did not return. This harmonizes with the 74 days counting back to October 15. When the dove had earlier departed on December 21, land was not visible yet.
Verse 13 declares: “…in the 1st month, the 1st day of the month, Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and, behold, the face of the ground was dry.” So, although Noah opened the window and used the birds to test the flood level sometime before the first day of the 10th month, he did not really see the situation for at least another 90 days. In Verse 5, the saying “…were the tops of the mountains seen” is simply referring to flood level data, or what the dove saw, not what Noah actually saw. This was an enormous craft, and although it wasn’t moving, he apparently couldn’t see much through the window. This Verse could be placed in the Bible to explain all of this without there being any special significance to the 1st day of the 1st month. The rest of the chapter, starting with Verse 14, appears to be more historical in nature in regards to the people and animals, etc.
Assigning modern dates to the events in Genesis 8, we can summarize his adventure and look for spiritual truth for us. The ark rested on a mountain top on October 15, coinciding with the future Feast of Tabernacles, and then the window was opened November 23. On November 30, the raven was released, and never returned to the ark. On December 7, the dove was released, and after a week returned with nothing. On December 21, the dove was again released, and came back with an olive leaf that evening. On December 28 the mountain tops appeared, and on that same day the dove reached dry land. The 74-day breakdown is 40 days (inclusively), then 5 periods of 7 days.
This information was all carefully hidden in the Bible until our day. Is God explaining the end time sequence to us? The fact that Verse 5 is out of sequence, and that there are some additional hidden 7’s should wake us up to carefully study these passages. Will the doves finally reach dry land on December 28, 2011? There is so much circumstantial evidence in the Bible pointing to 2011, not 2012, that this might be our best hope for Truth.
Related Stories:
Harold Camping: False Prophet or Herald of God?
It is Finished: God’s Final Warning
Assembling the Timeline of History – Part I
Assembling the Timeline of History – Part II
Assembling the Timeline of History – Part III
Assembling the Timeline of History – Part IV
Judgment Day: Less than One-Half Year Away
May 21, 2011: Judgment Day Scenario Unfolds
October 21, 2011: End of the World!!!
October 21, 2011 – The First Day of the Feast of Tabernacles, Not the Last!
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