13th century rabbi says universe billions of years old

The rabbis are known for their exacting precision in their approach to the scriptures but I'm not sure it ever yielded much in the practical world. Jesus was always criticizing them for their concern over gnats in the soup and tithing the cumin to exactitude (and I'd add, getting every microscopic particle of leaven out of the house before Passover -- Pesach?) , while greater matters were left undone.But be that whatever it may be, what makes me curious is the first prediction you mention of the 7000th year as the time when the world is to be destroyed: I see there are variations even on that but apparently there is also a tradition of using the straight counting of the years? So what I'd like to know is when this 7000th year is expected to arrive? (I'm curious of course because the Christian churches are right now more sure than they've ever been before that we are in the very last of the last days).Edited by Faith, : No reason given.

My guess is that he simply misspoke and will correct the error when he returns. However it may have implications for the Christian point of view that has Jesus coming back before a time period known as The Millennium, during which He reigns on earth from Jerusalem, after which it is all destroyed. Orthodox Jew must reject any ideas of Jesus of course, but perhaps the rabbis said something that fits with the idea of the Millennium reign of the Messiah. The same reason all us creationists are here of course. He believes in God, he believes the Bible reveals the truth about history, and he hopes to be able to persuade those of the antibiblical viewpoint. Fat chance of course, but oh well... Except in this case he is offering what he considers to be evidence on YOUR side. That isn't going to cut it either, though.Edited by Faith, : No reason given.Edited by Faith, : No reason given.

I guess I should have said Pharisees, because they wrote the Talmud.

Hey, you're right. I thought Percy had discovered a weird mistake.

Interesting that Christians and Jews are so close to the same page on this. We don't have anything about being worthy since the whole Christian gospel is about being a saved sinner and nobody can be worthy for anything God does for us. However, the timing is pretty much what most Christian prophecy-watchers are saying. Jesus comes back and then we have the Millennium, during which the Messiah -- Jesus -- reigns on earth from Jerusalem. I don't know exactly what's supposed to happen during the Millennium except that it will be what life SHOULD have been if we hadn't fallen, and then, as you also say, God will destroy the existing heavens and earth and recreate it all. And you even agree that that's when the Resurrection is to occur.Edited by Faith, : No reason given.