Proof for these dates cannot be given here.  They are

set out in the Rev. Martin Anstey's Romance of Bible Chronology.

This brings us to the first great dividing line, for Ahaziah of Judah

and Jehoram of Israel die on the same day at the hand of Jehu and so enable

us to make a new start at the year 3233 with Athaliah and Jehu.

The date 604 b.c. is important as it fixes the commencement of the

Seventy Weeks of Daniel 9, namely 454 b.c. (Neh. 2:1 -8), the date of the

'going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem' (Dan.

The accompanying chart may be of service here.

To commence our study with the testimony of the Gospel according to

Matthew is to attempt to build without a foundation.  The teaching of Matthew

and the bulk of the New Testament rests upon the teaching of the Old

Testament, not only for the fulfilment of prophecy in the coming of the Lord

as Redeemer, but also for His coming again as the hope of His people.

It would not be difficult to prove that the very terms of Adam's

creation look forward to the Second Coming of the Lord.  For example, the

reference to the dominion given to man in Psalm 8, Psalm 72, Daniel 2 and 7,

and Hebrews 2, etc., look forward to the coming reign of Christ.  The

description of the garden of Eden looks forward to Revelation 22 and the

promise that the Seed of the woman should bruise the serpent's head awaits

the Second Coming of the Lord for its complete fulfilment (Rom. 16:20).

These passages, however, are too indirect for our present purpose, so

the first point to which we call attention is

The words that constitute Enoch's prophecy are not recorded in Genesis

5, but it matters not who it is that has preserved his utterance so long as

it is found within the pages of Scripture.  We are indebted to Jude for the

record. He writes:

'And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying,

Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of His saints, to execute

judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of

all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all

their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him'

(Jude 14,15).

Before we can understand the import of this prophecy, we must observe

the general trend of the epistle in order to see the appositeness of Enoch's

witness.  If we glance at the earlier verses of Jude we shall see not only a

reference to human sin of a deep dye in the mention of Sodom and Gomorrah,

but a reference also to angels who kept not their first estate, and are

therefore reserved for judgment.