Seventy Weeks Prophecy: How the Bible Foretold the Year Jesus(As) and Muhammad(Saw) Will Come on Earth: Volume One: the Coming of Islam - the True Gospel of Jesus(As)

By Pedro C. Arceno Jr

Volume 1 of the book will discuss the true gospel of Jesus(as), which is about the imminent coming of the Son of Man and the establishment of the universal kingdom of God on earth. We will emphasize the fact that the entire ministry of Jesus(as) is all about the good news of the imminent fulfillment of the ‘Son of Man’ prophecy and the ‘Kingdom of God’ prophecy of Prophet Daniel(as) as written in the Bible. Based on the correct context and interpretation, the “Son of Man” mentioned by Jesus(as) refers to Prophet Muhammad(saw) and the “kingdom of God” refers to Islam.

Volume 2 will discuss about the fulfillment of the Seventy Weeks prophecy of Prophet Daniel(as). This prophecy is actually a countdown to know the year Jesus(as) and Muhammad(saw) will come on earth. Jesus(as) is expected to arrive in the sixty-ninth week of the countdown, and Prophet Muhammad(saw) will arrive in the seventieth week of the countdown. Its exact fulfillment in history (such as the year of their birth, the starting year of their ministry and the year their messianic mission will be accomplished) is a miracle or sign from God Almighty (Qur’an 20:133) and a clear evidence (Qur’an 61:6) attesting the veracity of the prophethood of both Jesus(as) and Muhammad(saw). This will explain to us why there were Jews in Judea who knew what time or year Jesus(as) will arrive on earth; and why there were Jews in Yathrib Arabia who knew what time or year Muhammad(saw) will emerge as Messenger of God.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Partridge Publishing Singapore
• Release date: Jul 22, 2019
• ISBN: 9781543752281

Pedro C. Arceno Jr

Pedro C. Arceno Jr. is a graduate of B.S. in Mechanical Engineering in Mindanao State University, Philippines. A fellow member of Philippine Society of Mechanical Engineers (PSME) and Saudi Council of Engineers (SCE). He is currently working in a prestigious company in Saudi Arabia as Design Tech Specialist.

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Copyright © 2019 by Pedro C. Arceno, Jr.

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Quranic verses are taken from translations of Sahih International, Muhsin Khan and Yusuf Ali unless otherwise specified.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®). ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved.

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CONTENTS

Preface

Chapter 1 Introductory Topics To Understand The 70 Weeks Prophecy

1.01 Jesus the Nazarene (Holy One of God) and His Nazarene Movement

1.02 The Need for Jesus(as) to Come in Advance as Forerunner of Prophet Muhammad(saw)

1.03 The Coming of the Kingdom of God on Earth was the True Gospel of Jesus(as)

1.04 The Universal Kingdom of God on Earth and the Nationalistic Davidic Kingdom of the Jews

1.05 Islam as a natural Religion based on Faith in God and Total Submission to His Will

1.06 True Religion from God vs Man-made Religion

1.07 Proving Prophet Muhammad(saw) as the Son of Man and Messiah Most Holy from Hostile Sources

1.08 New Testament Gospels of the Bible are Not Written by the Original Disciples of Jesus(as)

1.09 The Anomaly of the Sudden Shift from the Gospel of the Kingdom to the Gospel of the Cross

1.10 True Religion from God is Easy to Understand Not Like Man-made Religions

1.11. This Book Will Confirm the Scholarly Position That the Son of Man Is Not Jesus(as) But Another Future Messianic Figure.

1.12 The Gospel of the Kingdom of God on Earth was No Doubt a Very Anti-Roman Empire Message Jesus(as) had ever Delivered

Chapter 2 The Universal Kingdom of God on Earth – A Fulfillment of the Abrahamic Covenant

2.01 The Plan of God to Establish Universal Religion on Earth was Revealed to Prophet Daniel(as)

2.02 The Kingdom of God Means His Will or Law Must be Followed by the People on Earth

2.03. The Correct Translation of Daniel(as) 9:24 is Messiah Most Holy (Messiah)

2.04. The Future Two Messiahs of God – Jesus(as) and Muhammad(saw)

2.05 Muhammad(saw), Is the Priestly Messiah in the Tradition of Aaron and Melchizedek in the Dead Sea Scrolls.

2.06 Jews During and After the Time of Jesus(as) were Expecting the Coming of Prophet Muhammad(saw)

2.07 Paul’s Concept About Jesus(as) Son of David Versus Christ The Son of God Will Reveal His Knowledge About Two Messiahs.

2.08 The Relationship Between the Abrahamic Covenant and the Kingdom of God on Earth

2.09 Ishmael(as) was the Son of Abraham(as) Involved in Sealing (i.e. Finalizing) the Abrahamic Covenant

2.10 Ishmael(as) Was God’s Promised Son to Abraham(as); Isaac(as) Was God’s Promised Son to Sarah(as)

2.11 Ishmael as the Only Son and Beloved Son; Moriah, Beersheba and the Wilderness of Paran

2.12 The Future Prophet from Ishmael(as) Will Emerge from Paran (Hejaz) Through the Descendants of Kedar (Qaydar)

2.13 Prophet Isaiah(as) Prophesied the Future Arab Prophet Will Come from Kedar(as) Son of Ishmael(as)

2.14. Jesus(as) and Muhammad(saw) as the Fulfillment of the Abrahamic Covenant

Chapter 3 The Emergence of the Kingdom of God on Earth to be Established by the Son of Man

3.01 Daniel Chapter 2: God Revealed to Prophet Daniel(as) His Plan to Establish a Universal Religion on Earth.

3.02 The Identification of Four Elements and The Stone: Four Kingdoms of Men and The Kingdom of God on Earth

3.03 Islamic History Also Confirmed That the Stone Prophesied by Daniel(as) Is Islam

3.04 Daniel Chapter 7: God Will Send the Son of Man in the Person of Prophet Muhammad(saw) to Establish Universal Islam

3.05 More Descriptions of the Dreadful Fourth Beast

3.06 After the Period of Time, Times and Half a Time Islam Will Remove the Roman Empire from Jerusalem

3.07 The Meaning of the Ten Horns and the Boastful Little Horn

3.08 Daniel Chapter 9: The 70 Weeks Prophecy as It Survived in the Bible

3.09 The Danielic Messiah in Daniel 9:24 and the Davidic Messiah in Daniel 9:25

3.10 The 69th Week Had Been Fulfilled, Hence the Fulfillment of the 70th Week Is Imminent

3.11 Islam Or the Kingdom of God on Earth – Is Mankind’s Final Way of Righteousness

3.12 The Mystery of The Number 70 And the Destruction-Rebuilding of the Jerusalem Temple

Chapter 4 The True Gospel of Jesus(as) Is All About the Imminent Fulfillment of the Prophecies of Daniel(as)

4.01 Esa/Jesus(as) Was A Prophet Sent Only for The People Of Israel

4.02 The Genuine Gospel (i.e. Good News) of Jesus(as) Is About the Imminent Establishment of God’s Kingdom on Earth to be established by the Son of Man

4.03 The Genuine Gospel (i.e. Good News) of Jesus(as) About the Messiah Most Holy in Daniel 9:24

4.04 Jesus In His Olivet Discourse Reveals the Son of Man Is the Same Person as The Messiah Most Holy

4.05 Jesus(as) Preach the Gospel of the Kingdom All Throughout His Entire Ministry

4.06 The Kingdom of God on Earth Means God’s Law Must be Implemented on Earth

4.07 The Kingdom of God and Kingdom of Heaven

4.08 Bible Scholars Agree That the Gospel of Jesus(as) Is All about the Imminent Establishment of God’s Kingdom on Earth.

4.09 Bible Scholars Debate on the SOM Sayings of Jesus(as) as Recorded in the Hellenist/Pauline Gospels

4.10 The Son of Man and The Kingdom in The Pauline Gospel of John and In the Book of Revelation

4.11 The Messiah Most Holy in Barnabas and Pauline Matthew is Called the Paraclete in the Pauline John

4.12 The Word Periklytos (Muhammad) Corrupted as Parakletos (Menahemn)

4.13 How the Gospel of Jesus(as) was Preached to Both Jews and Gentiles.

4.14 Genuine Son of Man Teachings of Jesus(as) were Preserved in the Q Source

4.15 The Two Messiahs in the Gospel of Barnabas Derived from the 70 Weeks prophecy of Daniel(as)

4.16 The Title Son of Man For Prophet Muhammad(saw) Is More Anti-Roman Than His Title Messiah Most Holy

4.17 Nazarene/Nasara In the Quran are the True Followers Jesus(as) while the Followers of Paul were Condemned as Disbelievers

4.18 More Proofs About the True Followers of Jesus(as) Among the Nasara/Nazarene Jews

Appendices

Appendix-01 The Message of Daniel(as) Is the Same with the Message of Jesus(as)

Appendix-02 The True Gospel of Jesus(as) Versus the Fake Gospel of Paul.

Appendix-03 Paul, The Founder of Christianity Based on a Crucified (Dying) and Resurrected (Rising) Messiah (Son of Man).

Appendix-04 Al-Isra wa al-Miraj of Prophet Muhammad was the Exact Fulfillment of Daniel 7:13-14

"70 Weeks Prophecy is a wide-ranging exploration of the links between Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

Pedro C. Arceno Jr.’s intense 70 Weeks Prophecy argues that Islam is the one true faith.

This sprawling book begins its argument deep in the Christian past, exploring alternative gospels like the Gospel of Barnabas and extrabiblical sources like Josephus to show how complicated the biblical record can be. It argues that there are errors and omissions in the biblical record and in Christian interpretations of that material, most notably in scholars’ understandings of Jesus and his relationship to the Book of Daniel. In the book’s view, Jesus was a prophet who foretold the coming of Muhammad and of Islam."

- Jeremiah Rood, Foreword Clarion Book Review

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Scholar James Alan Montgomery once quipped that the Prophecy of Seventy Weeks—a foretelling given by the angel Gabriel to Old Testament prophet Daniel—was the dismal swamp of biblical exegesis. In 70 Weeks Prophecy, Pedro C. Arceno, Jr. looks to drain that quagmire by rigorously exploring such religious texts as the hotly debated apocryphal work Gospel of Barnabas (GOB) for answers to theological questions concerning the imminent coming of God’s kingdom."

For Arceno, GOB offers an important key to understanding the true identity of the Son of Man, a mysterious phrase used by Jesus in the Gospels. Most biblical scholars see the Son of Man as Jesus himself. But Arceno argues that Jesus, while important, was only a forerunner. The true Son of Man is the Prophet Muhammad, the Messiah Most Holy.

Arceno explores numerous topics aiming to demonstrate the role of Muhammed as the fulfillment of Daniel’s prophecies, including: the different roles of Jesus and Muhammed as messianic figures; the Abrahamic Covenant and respective role of Isaac and Ishmael; Muhammad as a member of the priestly line of Melchizedek; manipulation of the Bible by Pauline authors; and the idea that Jesus (oddly, the author calls him Jesus(as) and dubs the Prophet Muhammed as Muhammed(saw)) will return to become the leader of the Jews, inviting them to Islam.

While lively and well-researched, with numerous footnotes and citations, the narrative is incredibly dense. Readers without solid knowledge of Islam or Judeo/Christian prophetic literature will likely feel lost among numerous references to the Quran and Old and New Testaments."

- BlueInk Book Review

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"A writer offers an Islamic interpretation of Daniel’s 70 Weeks Prophecy in this debut book.

Even after centuries of exegesis, the 70 Weeks Prophecy, found in Chapter 9 of Daniel, remains one of the most opaque, labyrinthine passages in the entire Bible. Through calculations of the key weeks, which he concludes are actually representative of hundreds of years, Arceno claims to have discovered, with mathematical precision, the true meaning of the prophecies. They correctly predict the years Jesus and Muhammad came to Earth. While such numerology has been commonplace in both Islamic and Christian interpretations of prophecy, this tome also delivers a detailed theological defense of Islam. At almost 600 pages of dense prose, this book is the first installment of a three-part series in which Arceno lays out how Old Testament prophecies accurately foretold the coming of Muhammad. Central to this volume’s argument is not just how Daniel’s prophecy points directly to Muhammad, but also how Christians (specifically Paul) corrupted the Gospels to make Jesus divine. Indeed, the book’s discussion of the Historical Jesus, including an in-depth commentary on the Gospel of Barnabas, is its strongest section, providing readers of all faiths with a well-researched, fair, and nonincendiary case against Christian theology from a Muslim perspective."

- Kirkus Book Review

(Quran Surah al-Araf 7:157) Those who follow the Messenger, the unlettered prophet, whom they find written in what they have of the Torah and the Gospel, who enjoins upon them what is right and forbids them what is wrong and makes lawful for them the good things and prohibits for them the evil and relieves them of their burden and the shackles which were upon them. So they who have believed in him, honored him, supported him and followed the light which was sent down with him - it is those who will be the successful.

Quran Surah Taha 20:133) And they say, Why does he not bring us a sign from his Lord? Has there not come to them evidence of what was in the former scriptures?

(Quran Surah as-Saf 61:6) And [mention] when Jesus, the son of Mary, said, O children of Israel, indeed I am the messenger of Allah to you confirming what came before me of the Torah and bringing good tidings of a messenger to come after me, whose name is Ahmad. But when he came to them with clear evidences, they said, This is obvious magic."

BISMILLAHI AL-RAHMANI AL-RAHEEM

PREFACE

Islam means submission or obedience to the Will of God. Muslims means people who submit or obey to the Will of God. In particular, peace of mind will be achieved if a person obeys God’s Will. In general, peace among the community and nations can be achieved if all obey God’s Will. No wonder we can always hear Muslims say Islam means Peace. Islam is a very natural religion that was practiced from Adam(as) and all the prophets after him. Deviation or sects among the ranks will only emerge if someone will lead an opposition to the Prophets out of jealousy and impiety (Quran 2:213, 3:19, 3:100). In the Quran and the Bible, we can see all prophets and messengers of God had preached and encouraged people to submit to God’s Will (Quran 3:32 & 4:13-14; Matthew 6:10 & 7:21). Corollary to submission to the Will of God is obedience to God’s commandments written in the Law He revealed to His major prophets (Quran 2:136; I Kings 17:13; Psalms 40:8, 119:165). His Law is our way of righteousness (Quran 2:177 & 3:114; Joshua 1:8; Psalms 119:142; Matthew 5:17-19).

Part of Islam and being true Muslim is to believe the Prophets and Messengers sent by God. During the time of Jesus(as), true salvation is not believing in him that he will be crucified by his enemies but to believe there is only One true God and Jesus(as) being sent (i.e. Messenger) by God. This way of salvation is very clear in the following words of Jesus(as) in the Bible:

(John 17:3) This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.

(John 5:24) Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.

In the new covenant Islam or the universal Islam established by Prophet Muhammad(saw), it is required to accept Prophet Muhammad(saw) as the Last Prophet of God in addition to all previous Prophets and Messengers of God. So, salvation in the new covenant Islam is to believe Allah as the only One True God worthy to be worship and believe Muhammad(as) is His Messenger (Quran 49:15).¹ True faith in God and His Prophets demands both words and actions from us. It means we need to obey God’s Law and commandments as revealed to His Prophets the last is Prophet Muhammad(saw). Allah said in the Quran:

(Quran Surah an-Nisaa 4:13-14) 13 These are the limits [set by] Allah, and whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger will be admitted by Him to gardens [in Paradise] under which rivers flow, abiding eternally therein; and that is the great attainment.14 And whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger and transgresses His limits - He will put him into the Fire to abide eternally therein, and he will have a humiliating punishment.

(Quran an-Nisaa 4:59-60) "59 O ye who believe! Obey Allah, and obey the Messenger, and those charged with authority among you. If ye differ in anything among yourselves, refer it to Allah and His Messenger, if ye do believe in Allah and the Last Day: That is best, and most suitable for final determination. 60 Hast thou not turned Thy vision to those who declare that they believe in the revelations that have come to thee and to those before thee? Their (real) wish is to resort together for judgment (in their disputes) to the Evil One, though they were ordered to reject him. But Satan’s wish is to lead them astray far away (from the right).

(Quran surah Yunus 10:9) Indeed, those who have believed and done righteous deeds - their Lord will guide them because of their faith. Beneath them rivers will flow in the Gardens of Pleasure.

We know from both the gospel of Barnabas and the Pauline gospels that the true gospel (i.e. good news) of Jesus(as) is about the imminent coming of God’s Kingdom (Mark 1:14-15; Luke 4:18 and 4:43) to be establish on earth (Matthew 6:10). God’s Kingdom on earth means God’s reign over the people regardless of their location. It involves obedience or submission to His Will (Matthew 7:21; John 5:30-31).

In simple parlance, God’s Kingdom on earth simply means God’s approved religion for all nations to embrace and practice (Quran 3:19 & 3:85). Those who obey His Will or Law are true believers and those who opposed His Will were rebellious sinners. Seeking the true religion is just the same as seeking the true Kingdom of God and His righteousness (Mathew 6:33) so that we will have good life in this world and good life in the hereafter (Quran 2:201). This book will prove beyond reasonable doubt that the coming Kingdom of God on earth announced by Jesus(as) is in fact the new covenant Islam established by Prophet Muhammad(saw). It can be proven by knowing the correct interpretation of the prophecies of Prophet Daniel(as), Jesus(as) and other prophets.

Those who earnestly search the truth revealed by God or looking for the true way of salvation so that in the life hereafter he will be among those who are successful and enter paradise of bliss, I highly recommend to read this book from its first volume up to its last and evaluate its arguments for the truthfulness of Prophet Muhammad(saw) and the universal religion Islam.² The final Abrahamic religion called Islam was established in the 7th century CE by Prophet Muhammad(saw) specifically in year 622 CE or six hundred years after the first advent of Jesus(as) had ended in year 22 CE.³ We can call the Islam brought by Prophet Muhammad(saw) as a new covenant Islam because it is a religion for all nations to differentiate it with the preceding Islam brought by previous prophets in which we can deemed together as old covenant intended only for a specific nation or tribe.

Example of the old covenant Islam was the Islam brought by Moses(as) in which God revealed a Law to guide the people of Israel (Quran 17:2; Exodus 3:14-15 Malachi 4:4). Also, Jesus(as) by his claim as a Messenger sent by God (John 17:3) for the people of Israel (Quran 5:72 & 61:6; Matthew 10:5-7 & 15:24) can be categorized also as just a national Prophet. He did not bring a new Law but still following the Law of God revealed to Moses(as) to guide the Jews. That is clear in his teachings in Matthew 5:17-19, 19:16-17 and 23:1-3.

Only few people nowadays knew that the year (i.e. 622 CE) in which the new covenant Islam was established on earth by Prophet Muhammad(saw) was already prophesied in advance by previous Prophets of God in the Bible. Foremost of them was Prophet Daniel(as) who, way back 6th century BCE (specifically in 536/535 BCE) had prophesied what specific year in the future the universal Kingdom of God will appear on earth. The last but not the least was Prophet Jesus(as) who, way back 1st century CE (specifically in 22 CE) had announced the name and origin of the Son of Man (i.e. the Messiah Most Holy) whose advent in the future signals the establishment of the universal Kingdom of God. We can confirm this by computing correctly the 70 Weeks Prophecy using the critical information provided to us by Jesus(as) how to compute the remaining 70th Week of the countdown for us to know the correct timing or year Prophet Muhammad(saw) will arrive and establish the universal Kingdom of God on earth.

This volume 1 of the book will discuss all the prophecies of Prophet Daniel(as) and Jesus(as) about the coming Kingdom of God to be established by the messianic Son of Man. These include the prophecy about the coming of the four kingdoms of men followed by the Kingdom of God on earth. This book will also prove beyond reasonable doubt that the fulfillment of Daniel’s(as) prophecy about the four kingdoms of men followed by the Kingdom of God was fulfilled in history upon the advent of the four kingdoms of men, namely: (1) Babylon, (2) Medo-Persia, (3) Greece and (4) Rome (i.e. the Roman empire) followed by Islam as the fifth Kingdom not of men but of God.⁴ This sequence of the four earthly kingdoms followed by Islam will lead us to a very clear identification of the messianic Son of Man as Prophet Muhammad(saw) and the coming Kingdom of God on earth as fulfilled by Islam.

In history, only Islam represented by the community of Abrahamic believers from different nations had defeated the Roman empire and expelled them from the holy land specially from Jerusalem. The advent of Prophet Muhammad(saw) no doubt had fulfilled the ancient promise of God to Abraham(as) that by him through his descendant (or seed) after him will all the people on earth be blessed. This promised seed of Abraham(as) is no other than Prophet Muhammad(saw) and we will prove it later in this book in our discussion about the Abrahamic Covenant and the respective role of Isaac(as) and Ishmael(as) – the two blessed sons of Abraham(as). It means people of every nation can obtain guidance and attain salvation if they will believe and accept the true religion from God brought by Prophet Muhammad(saw).

This book will use as evidences not only some few genuine words (or a mix of it) of Jesus(as) found in the Pauline gospels but also the Gospel of Barnabas (GOB) that contains almost all genuine words of Jesus(as).⁵ The GOB had been advocated by John Toland as containing genuine teachings of Jesus(as) as preserved by his Nazarene/Ebionite followers.⁶ He claimed that the lost teachings of Jesus(as) can be recovered in Islam or in the religion of Muhammad(saw).⁷ Barnabas as an apostle of Jesus(as) is confirmed in Acts 14:14 along with Paul. No other persons named as apostles in Acts. Take note that Paul claimed to be the last or the 13th apostle of Jesus(as) and Barnabas claimed also in his gospel that he is part of the 12 apostles. We know there are only 12 apostles corresponding to the 12 tribes of Israel (Matthew 19:28). That is precisely the reason why Paul claimed to be the last or 13th apostle chosen by Jesus(as) for the gentiles (see his claim in Acts 9:15; Romans 11:13; Galatians 1:11-17; I Cor. 9:1-2). In the Recognitions of Clement (see Book 1:60), Barnabas is named as Matthias - the one who replaced Judas Iscariot to complete the 12 apostles. He is called Joseph Barnabas by Pauline author (Acts 4:36) and then intentionally corrupted his name as Joseph Barsabas to duplicate him and misled us. Meaning to say the two candidates to replace Judas namely - Matthias and Joseph Barsabas (see Acts 1:21-26) were actually just one and the same person known as Matthias or Joseph Barnabas. He is the one who wrote the Gospel of Jesus(as) known today as the Gospel of Barnabas (GOB). He was no doubt among the 12 apostles of Jesus(as).

There is a tendency among Pauline authors either to portray Barnabas as just a replacement (i.e. the Matthias in Acts 1:26 and ‘Recognition Of Clement’ 1:60) or to remove him completely from the original list of 12 apostles to make his gospel book less authoritative if compared to the Pauline authors who were also evidently not belonged to the 12 apostles nor among the eyewitness disciples of Jesus(as). Had these 4 Pauline gospel authors been among the true apostles, for sure they will not be shy in introducing themselves to make their literary works credible.⁸ They refused to introduce themselves in their gospels so it means their true names will not add any credibility to their works. At least the Pauline author of Acts presented Barnabas to us as just a replacement of Judas no wonder he is also called an apostle (Acts 14:14). But most likely the replacement was someone else and Barnabas is actually part of the original 12 apostles.

On the other hand, comparing the list of the 12 apostles in the Pauline gospels we can noticed that the name Simon is being mentioned twice because Simon Barjonah is actually a zealot (secret warrior against the Romans) hence he is just one and the same with Simon the Zealot making their list as only 11 apostles (Matthew 10:2-4; John 1:35-49).⁹ The missing 12th apostle in the list is no other than Barnabas. Proof that Simon Barjonah is a zealot is that Jesus(as) named him as Peter or Rock complementing his status as a zealot warrior hence, he is the Rock or fortress of the group.¹⁰ To be a rock and son of a thunder signify the characteristics of a zealous Jewish warrior though they existed at the time as a secret organization that became open only during the 66-73 CE war against the Romans. His being a zealot is also revealed when Jesus(as) was attempted to be arrested by the Romans, he without further ado drew his sword and struck the arresting Roman soldier (John 18:10). Barnabas in his list of Apostles has only one apostle named Simon proving the two Simons in the Pauline gospels as just a duplication of the same person. In fact, the word Bar Jonah (John 1:42) is just a corruption of the word barjona who were sicarii of the Zealots or secret daggerman equivalent to a hitman or assassin in our modern parlance.¹¹ Some scholars believed Peter was a zealot by just considering he has a sword with him.¹²

Volume 2 of this book will discuss about Prophetic Chronology and the presentation of the amazing computation of the 70 Weeks prophecy of Prophet Daniel(as) using the lunar calendar to determine the respective birth year of Jesus(as) and Prophet Muhammad(saw), then using the ideal calendar to know the starting year of their prophethood (i.e. starting year of their ministry). Finally, we will use the solar calendar to determine what year they will fulfill their respective messianic mission as mentioned in the prophecy. Jesus(as) mission is to proclaim the gospel to the poor and to divulge the name and racial origin of the messianic Son of Man as prophesied by Daniel(as).¹³ The messianic mission of Prophet Muhammad(saw) assigned to him in the prophecies of Daniel(as) is to establish Islam in Yathrib where the Kingdom of God on earth will originate to spread worldwide. It is in Yathrib or Taybah (later known as Madinah) where the power base of God’s dominion (i.e. Kingdom) on earth had started in accordance with the prophecy.¹⁴ It is in Yathrib that Prophet Muhammad became the Leader and Judge of the community and started sending letters to another kingdoms and nations inviting them to embrace Islam.¹⁵

The chronology we got in computing the 70 Weks prophecy will be proven as correct in Volume 2 using evidences from gospel writers (such as Barnabas and the authors of Matthew, Mark, Luke & John) and early historians like Josephus, Cassius Dio and Eusebius. Modern Bible scholars and historians are debating some important dates of the events of history related to the time of Jesus(as) and Muhammad(saw). Like for example, the year Jesus(as) was born and the year Herod died has been hotly debated.¹⁶ Take note that the date of Herod’s death is very important information for us to know the birth year of Jesus(as) because gospel writers only provided us the age of Jesus(as) at the time Herod died. Some gospel writers reported that Jesus(as) was seven years old when Herod died; some will say he was five. Many scholars will assign the death of Herod in 4 BCE based from their interpretation of the chronology of Josephus. Some scholars will prefer 5 BCE as the best choice and others will force it in 1 BCE based on their mistaken interpretation of the data supplied by Josephus.

The scholarly debate on the issue of what year Herod died and what year Jesus(as) was born is still continuing without abating and this book will support scholarly position picking 5 BCE as the year Herod died based from the latest data provided to us by Josephus. That he died in December 5 BCE is attested in Megillat Ta’anit in which the death of Herod is dated in Kislev 7 (i.e. December).¹⁷ Most scholars dated the death of Herod in 4 BCE with few who prefer either 5 BCE or 1 BCE. Many scholars will simply date it in 5/4 BCE. That 5 BCE is more precise date than 4 BCE for the death year of Herod has been proposed by scholars such as T.D. Barnes, P.M. Bernegger, Nikos Kokkinos and R. Carrier. This book will agree and confirm they were correct in dating the death of Herod in December 5 BCE.¹⁸

This book is more or less fifteen years in the making indicating too much intermittent efforts were spent just to finish this research project. I humbly encourage you to follow and read all the two volumes because they all constitute as my proofs to prove that the Kingdom of God announced by Daniel(as) and Jesus(as) to arrive in the future is fulfilled in Islam; and the Son of Man (known also as the Messiah Most Holy) whom they prophesied to come on earth to establish the Kingdom of God is fulfilled by Prophet Muhammad(saw). In fact, God made the truth clear to us to avoid misguidance by having Jesus(as) born without a father for us not to confuse him with Prophet Muhammad(saw) who was born with a father thus he is the real Son of Man prophesied by Daniel(as) both in literal and allegorical sense of the phrase. Jesus(as) can only be called Son of Mary (i.e. Son of Woman) as what Muslims commonly called him.

It is expected that readers may discover typos and grammatical errors because English is not my first language, nor I am an English teacher in school. I am an Engineer by profession who happened to have strong interest in comparative religion and biblical history. Nevertheless, I am confident that I made my points clear enough for the readers to understand my thesis. Discussions of some key topics are sometimes being repeated in later sections of the book, the purpose of which is for neophyte readers (or those who are not yet acquainted with the topics being discussed) to familiarize those concepts as they continue reading the book. For those hotly debated issues that even experts and scholars are not in agreement, it is normal that I need to take a stand or support those scholars who got the right analysis of the data that are consistent with the correct 70 Weeks Prophecy computation proposed in this book. For the rest of my shortcomings I ask forgiveness from Allah the Almighty the only All-knowing, the Most Merciful.

For those who are fond of comparative religion research, I can promise you that reading the entire book (with its two volumes) is an enjoyable ride for those having the same genuine interest in the subjects, namely: Islam, prophecies of Daniel(as), true gospel of Jesus(as) and 70 Weeks Prophetic chronology. It will enable you to learn new amazing knowledge and encounter out of the box ideas in which you have no other option but to agree with me for the simple reason that it is what the incontrovertible evidences will impose on us.

Insha’Allah (God willing), this book will help you to find the Kingdom of God on earth or the true religion revealed by God for mankind for our guidance and salvation even by just appreciating the amazing chronology threaded by Islam and Prophet Muhammad(saw) in history that was predicted in advance by Prophet Daniel(as) more or less one thousand years ago before it actually happened in history. Then Jesus(as) confirmed those Prophecies of Daniel(as) and had also prophesied these events about Islam and Muhammad(saw) way back six hundred years ago before it happened in history. Because in our time, all these predicted events were already happened in history, what we need to do is to retrospectively confirm those events as truly happened in Islamic history based on the predictions of previous prophets telling us what year Prophet Muhammad(as) will be born, what year he will start his prophethood in Makkah and what year he will establish the Kingdom of God in Madinah. Let us not forget the advice of Jesus(as) to us: We need to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all the good things in this word and the next world will be given to us (Matthew 6:33).

Enjoy reading and God bless.

Pedro C. Arceno, Jr.

December 19, 2019

[e-mail]

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTORY TOPICS

TO UNDERSTAND THE

70 WEEKS PROPHECY

1.01 Jesus the Nazarene (Holy One of God) and His Nazarene Movement

Jesus was a Nazarene since birth being separated or set apart as holy one of God as clearly reported in the Gospel of Barnabas (GOB 1:3, 2:2).¹⁹ The word Nazarene is derived from the word Nazarite meaning set apart as Holy One of God.²⁰ High Priests are holy ones of God and no wonder the rules being observed by the Nazarites resembles that of the high priests.²¹ It has the same meaning of the word Essenes which is also means Holy Ones.²² Most likely the word Essenes is just a variant word (or a derivative word or even a corruption) of the word Nazarene as both have the same meaning. Jesus(as) as a Nazarite means he was observing a Samson-like vow of setting oneself apart as holy one of God.²³ The rules for Nazarite vow ritual are stated in the Bible (Numbers 6:1-21) and their prominence is mentioned in Amos 2:11-12. Numbers 6:8 is very clear, a Nazarene/Nazarite is holy to God. Among the famous Nazarenes were Samson (Judges 18:5-7) and Samuel (I Samuel 1:11).²⁴ The word is derived from the Hebrew word nazar meaning to separate from others and dedicate oneself to God.²⁵ Therefore, to be a Nazarite means you need to set apart yourself as holy for the service of God or vowed oneself for the service of God.²⁶ No wonder then that Nazarites are almost synonymous with the Prophets as they set apart themselves to serve God or receive charismatic calling (GOB 156:7, Amos 2:11-12).²⁷ The Pauline gospels is silent about Jesus(as) being a Nazarene/Nazarite since birth but there are verses that says he is a holy one of God a description synonymous to a Nazarene/Nazarite. In fact, he was actually called a Nazarene in Matthew 2:23 and Mark 14:67 precisely because he was a holy one of God.²⁸

Two of the most prominent commandments to be observed by a Nazarite/Nazarene is to avoid wine and strong drink (Numbers 6:3). In the report of Barnabas, Jesus(as) was a Nazarene since birth, the same as John the Baptist and James the Just. As a Nazarene, they need to avoid wine, strong drinks and unclean meat. These three things just enumerated are also prohibited in Islam indicating the new covenant Muslims are also Holy Ones of God, hence need to avoid impure foods. Below are the reports about the famous Nazarenes:

Jesus(as) as the Nazarene

(GOB 2:2) Joseph being a righteous man, when he perceived that Mary was great with child, considered putting her away because he feared God. [But] behold, while he slept, he was rebuked by the angel of God, saying: "O Joseph, why are you thinking of putting away your wife Mary? Know that whatever has been wrought in her has all been done by the will of God. The Virgin shall bring forth a son, whom you shall call by the name Jesus, and you shall keep him from wine and strong drink and from every unclean meat, because he is a holy one of God from his mother’s womb.²⁹

John(as) as the Nazarene

(Luke 1:13-18) 13 But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. 14 And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, 15 for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. 16 And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, 17 and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared."

James as the Nazarene

(Eusebius’ Church History 2:23:5-7) "This man was holy from his mother’s womb, drank no wine nor strong drink, nor ate anything in which was life; no razor came upon his head, he anointed himself not with oil, and used no bath. To him alone it was permitted to enter the holy place; for he wore nothing woolen, but linen garments. And alone he entered into the sanctuary, and was found on his knees asking forgiveness on behalf of the people, so that his knees became hard like a camel’s, for he was continually bending the knee in worship to God, and asking forgiveness for the people. In fact, on account of his exceeding great justice he was called ‘the Just’ and ‘Oblias’, which is in Greek ‘bulwark of the people’ and ‘justice’, as the prophets show concerning him."³⁰

Because Jesus(as) was a well-known Nazarene and those who believed in him underwent repentance through ritual purification to become holy by having a Nazarite vow as indicated in Acts 21:17-26, it is very much expected that the followers of Jesus(as) were described also as Nazarenes as evident from the verses quoted below:

(GOB 65:4) So among themselves they said: It must have been Jesus the Nazarene. Others said: No, for Jesus the Nazarene is a holy one of God, whereas he who has done this thing is a wicked man, for he causes the sabbath to be broken. And Jesus went into the Temple, and a great multitude drew near to him to hear his words for which reason the priests were consumed with envy.

(GOB 193:8) "A great multitude of the Jews and some of the Pharisees believed in Jesus, because the miracle was great. Those that remained in their unbelief departed and went to Jerusalem and announced to the chief of the priests the resurrection of Lazarus; and how that many were become Nazarenes; for so they called them who were brought to penitence through the word of God which Jesus preached."

(Mark 14:66-67) 66 And as Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came, 67 and seeing Peter warming himself, she looked at him and said, You also were with the Nazarene, Jesus."

(Acts 24:5) "For we have found this man a plague, one who stirs up riots among all the Jews throughout the world and is a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes."³¹

It is clear from the evidences quoted above that Nazarene means Nazarite or holy one of God. It pertains to a person or membership of a religious group and not derived from a place. The author of Pauline Matthew seems wanted to hide the true identity of Jesus(as) as a Nazarite by connecting the epithet Nazarene to a city called Nazareth alleging it fulfilled the prophecies of the previous Prophets (Matthew 2:23). The anomaly in this assertion is that there are no such previous prophecies predicting the Davidic Messiah will reside in a place called Nazareth for him to be called a Nazarene.³² Most likely this Matthew 2:23 was an attempt to explain why Jesus(as) was known to be called a Nazarene, without knowing the fact that it simply means Jesus(as) was a Nazarite since birth. It has nothing to do with a place and cannot be prophecy related to it because the city called Nazareth in modern time is located inland (not beside the seashore of Galilee). This is also a newly emerged place not mentioned in the Old Testament Bible and in the rabbinical texts.

Even the first century CE historian Josephus who mentioned all cities and towns in whole Palestine but he did not mention this newly emerged inland city called Nazareth.³³ In the fourth century CE this inland Nazareth was just a small hamlet indicating it is just a newly established town precisely because of the mention in Mathew 2:23 and Christians like Eusebius, Jerome or Queen Helena (mother of Constantine) may had wrongly located a place in Galilee to represent this town of Jesus(as) mentioned in the gospel. ³⁴ If ever is evidence the said place was inhabited before the 4th century CE, the possibility remains, i.e., the said place was inhabited but it was not called Nazareth that time. It is claimed that a place called Nazareth existed based on the inscription found in Caesarea dated earlier in 3rd century CE. But this inscription could refer to the town of Gennesaret located near the sea and not the newly baptized inland location called Nazareth which is far from the sea. As we can discover later on in our discussion in the itineraries of Jesus (as), the hometown of Jesus (as) is obviously near the sea and not inland or not far from the sea.

My point is that later followers of Paul probably picked a wrong location for Jesus’(as) hometown. Its current location is not consistent with the gospel reports that the town of Jesus is situated near the sea of Galilee (i.e. lake Gennesaret). The problem of inconsistencies will be removed if we agree for the hometown of Jesus is actually the land of Gennesaret.³⁵ It is spelled in modern Hebrew as Kinneret and in ancient times it was known as Chinnereth. It is a very old town/city and is mentioned in Joshua 19:35 along the lake/sea of Galilee (Joshua 13:27). This very small but beautiful hometown of Jesus(as) is obviously adjacent to the city of Capernaum as reported by Josephus.³⁶ As indicated in Luke 4:16 -44 to 5:1-11, it is evidently besides the lake or seashore. We can notice that its long word Gennesaret can be shortened as Nesaret in which the gospel writers or translators were quick to twist or transform it as Nazareth to sound like Nazarene, thus they had found a most likely explanation why Jesus(as) was known to be a Nazarene. Unfortunately, the followers of Paul in later period had mistakenly chose an inland place to represent Nesaret/Nazareth instead of identifying it with the land of Gennesaret adjacent to Capernaum near the seashore.

But there is no need such kind of etymological exercise if they were aware that Jesus(as) the Nazarene simply means Jesus(as) the Nazarite (also spelled as Nazarite).³⁷ His hometown is Gennesaret a town/city with the same name of the famous lake in Galilee. He is like his brother James the Just who was also a Nazarite, hence known as the Nazarene.³⁸

We can trace the true hometown/city of Jesus(as) by looking closely in his itineraries as reported in the gospels. The number one hint is that his hometown is near Capernaum as indicated in the synoptic gospels Matthew, Mark and Luke. In the Gospel of Barnabas and John, his travels are almost the same. He started his ministry near Jerusalem and Bethany of Jordan when almost all Jews gathered for the Feast of Tabernacles coinciding with the olive harvest (GOB 10) and near the area of John the Baptist’s baptism of repentance (John 1:28). It is in these area Jesus(as) had picked his apostles who like him had visited Jerusalem for the annual pilgrimage festival (Sukkot) and most likely he had picked almost of his apostles (except the tax collector Matthew) from the followers of John the Baptists fulfilling the prophecy that John was Elias who prepare the way for Jesus(as). In John, after picking his apostles he decided to go to Galilee (John 1:43). Jesus(as) had picked some apostles from the followers of John the Baptist (John 1:5-42) in Bethany and others were added later in Capernaum of Galilee (John 1:43-51). But in synoptic gospels Jesus(as) had picked all his apostles in Galilee mostly in Capernaum.

In terms of chronology, GOB is nearer to the gospel of John compared to the synoptic gospels. In the beginning of his ministry, both Barnabas and John reported that Jesus(as) started his ministry in Jerusalem, then going to Bethany then in Transjordan area and then returning back to Galilee. Barnabas and John differed in the duration of Jesus’(as) stay in the south. For John, Jesus(as) returned immediately to Galilee while Barnabas had Jesus(as) stayed in Jerusalem and other places in the south much longer and returned to his hometown in Galilee only in the next year. Both GOB and John, assumed that Jesus(as) and his apostles had traveled toward Galilee via the town of Cana before he embarked to return to his hometown Gennesaret which is obviously corrupted by gospel writers and translators as Nazareth (GOB 15:1, John 2:1). John seems to give only 3 days travel of Jesus(as) and his companions from Bethany to Cana (John 1:43 vs 2:1).

In dating the miracle in Cana (turning water into wine), Barnabas has it near the occasion of the next Feast of Tabernacles that will happen in Sept/October every luni-solar year (GOB 15:1) indicating Jesus(as) had already engaged almost a year ministry in the south (more or less eleven months) before he decided to return to his hometown in Galilee. If we trace closely, the chronology of Barnabas has many similarities in the chronology of John than the synoptic gospels. So, we can use John to unlock some unknowns in the GOB and vice versa. After Cana, the gospel of John has Jesus(as) and his disciples went to Capernaum in the lake/sea of Gennesaret (John 2:12). But Barnabas has Jesus(as) went first to Gennesaret/Nazareth his home town (GOB 20:1) before he passed through Capernaum. But anyway, the two towns are very near to each other if we consider Nazareth as derived from its original name Gennesaret. John seems to report in fast face itinerary that in just few days in Galilee (John 2:12), Jesus(as) and his apostles went back to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover (John 2:13-23). But it can be interpreted also having Jesus(as) returned immediately to Galilee after the Sukkot festival in October then in the following year went back to Jerusalem for the Passover (March/April).

But in the chronology of Barnabas, Jesus(as) seems to have stayed longer for almost eleven months from October of the current year to August of the following year hence he was still in Jerusalem in the Passover mentioned in John 2:13. This will explain why Barnabas mentioned Jesus(as) having made several visits to Jerusalem before returning to his hometown. The most likely equivalent for the Passover mentioned in John is the Jerusalem visit of Jesus(as) mentioned in GOB 12:1-22. Here it is reported that Jesus(as) went to the Temple full of visitors that he needs to speak to them in the pinnacle of the Temple for them to see and hear him. After eleven months since he started his ministry, he returned to his hometown. He preached the gospel in Galilee for a month with a miraculous journeys. Then went back to Jerusalem again by a miraculous journey as if teleporting from Galilee to Jerusalem in just a blink of an eye to attend another Sukkot or Feast of Tabernacles (GOB 30). In volume 2, we will prove Barnabas is correct in his chronology of the ministry of Jesus(as) because it is consistent with the 70 Weeks Prophecy fulfillment having Jesus(as) a total of 30 months ministry.

We need to take note that the starting point of Jesus’(as) public ministry in Jerusalem was during the month of Sukkot (a pilgrimage festival) in the month of Tishri (Sept/Oct) or shortly thereafter in the month of October. After being baptized in the Jordan river, he chose his disciples from the followers of John the Baptist(as). We can double check the timing Jesus’(as) first return to his hometown after the beginning of his ministry in Jerusalem using the details in the gospel of John and the synoptic gospels. Again, Barnabas seems to inform us that Jesus(as) stayed in the south for a couple of months but in the gospel of John it seems he went back immediately to Galilee after celebrating the Sukkot. Barnabas recorded some discourses of Jesus(as) related to the gospel of the Kingdom of God (GOB 16:3 & GOB 19:5) as he travels to his hometown Gennesaret/Nazareth. He stopped in Cana (GOB 15:1) and then continued his travel traversing the lake by a boat/ship from unspecified starting point (GOB 20:1). After preaching for the first time in his hometown, he was rejected by his town folks and uttered the famous line: No prophet is received in his own country (GOB 20:3). This hometown rejection is consistent with the idea that it was his first ministry since he left the town for Jerusalem in the previous year.

After the rejection, he went up to Capernaum where he encountered a man possessed by the demons whom Jesus(as) cast out to the swine and thrown headlong into the sea (GOB 21:1-3). The description went up to Capernaum (GOB 21:1) implies the town of Jesus(as) is located a little bit south of Capernaum exactly the location of the town/city of Gennesaret. This will indicate the true hometown of Jesus(as) is Gennesaret.³⁹ Then Jesus departed Galilee and went to the region of Tyre and Sidon where he met the Canaanite woman and uttered the line: I am not sent but to the people of Israel… It is not good to take the bread from the children’s hands and give it to the dogs (GOB 21:4-6). Then he went back to Galilee in mount Tabor called as mountain of Galilee (GOB 23:1), perhaps same mountain mentioned in Matthew 28:16. After that he went back to Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles (GOB 30:1). Judging from his fast pace return to his hometown, the intervening period from GOB 15:1 (the feast of Tabernacles was near) to the actual feast of Tabernacles have some few days perhaps 30 days to stay in Galilee.

In Luke 4:14, this first time return of Jesus(as) to his hometown since the beginning of his ministry in Jerusalem involved miraculous travel. Perhaps the purpose of this miracle is to impress his disciples that there is no worry if they accompany Jesus(as) to any villages and cities in Palestine preaching the gospel of the Kingdom. Most likely Jesus’(as) travels further north in Tyre and Sidon were done through the Spirit of God or angel Gabriel teleporting Jesus(as) and his apostles in just a blink of an eye. There are some instances in narrative of Barnabas and other sources that Jesus(as) had shown miraculous travels having him arrived in a new place in just a split of a second indicating he was carried by angels. Example of this miraculous travels can be gleaned in GOB 15:1, 30:1, 45:1 and GOB 92:1. Also in Luke 4:14 having Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit or he was carried by angel Gabriel. Most likely in GOB 45:1, Jesus travelled for the feast of Tabernacle in Jerusalem in just a blink of an eye as he was carried by angel Gabriel as evident in John 5:1. This miraculous travel motif is even used by the writer of Acts for the Hellenist Philip portraying him being transported by the Spirit from Gaza to Azotus in just a blink of an eye (Acts 8:39-40).

Luke had some supplementary details for the first return of Jesus(as) to Galilee following the same path: starting from Jerusalem/Transjordan to Cana of Galilee, then to Gennesaret/Nazareth, and then to Capernaum. Luke reported that after the temptation of Jesus(as) in the wilderness of Jordan and Judea, Jesus(as) went to his hometown Gennesaret/Nazareth and preached the gospel there (Luke 4:1-16; GOB 20:1). He was rejected in Gennesaret/Nazareth and also uttered the same famous line Truly, I say to you, no prophet is acceptable in his hometown (Luke 4:24; GOB 20:3). Then he went to the adjacent town/city of Capernaum where he met Simon Peter and other apostles (Luke 4:31-44; in GOB 21:1-3 it mentions Capernaum but nothing about selecting his apostles). This itinerary - Nazareth then Capernaum strongly indicates the hometown of Jesus(as) is not inland but besides the lake of Gennesaret.

In the chronology of Matthew, Jesus(as) started his first ministry not in Jerusalem (as the case in Barnabas) and even not in Gennesaret/Nazareth (as the case in Luke) but he started in Capernaum where he met his apostles (Mathew 4:12-18; Mark 1:16-29). The first visit narratives of Matthew also contain some consistent details with the narratives in the GOB having Jesus(as) and his apostles travelling to Gennesaret/Nazareth by a boat. The chronology is the following: (1) Jesus came back to his hometown by boat (Matthew 9:1, duplicated in 13:53-54; GOB 20:1). After being rejected he uttered the same famous line: A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own household (Matthew 13:57; GOB 20:3). After the rejection he went up to Capernaum (GOB 21:1) and then going to Tyre and Sidon where he met the Canaanite woman (Matthew 15:21-26; GOB 21:4-6). This report of Matthew confirming the report of Barnabas having Jesus’(as) visit to his hometown by a boat will be enough for our purpose to determine the true location of the hometown of Jesus(as).

It is noteworthy to quote these two records of the first visit of Jesus(as) to his hometown Gennesaret since he started his ministry. His hometown is clearly besides the lake of Gennesaret or sea of Galilee:

(Matthew 9:1 duplicated in 13:53-54) "And getting into a boat he crossed over and came to his own city".

(GOB 20:1) Jesus went to the sea of Galilee, and having embarked in a ship sailed to his city of Nazareth whereupon there was a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was near to sinking. And Jesus was sleeping upon the prow of the ship. Then drew near to him his disciples, and awoke him, saying: O master, save yourself, for we perish! They were encompassed with very great fear, by reason of the great wind that was contrary and the roaring of the sea. Jesus arose, and raising his eyes to heaven, said: O Elohim Sabaoth, have mercy upon your servants. Then, when Jesus had said this, suddenly the wind ceased, and the sea became calm. Wherefore the seamen feared, saying: And who is this, that the sea and the wind obey him?

Take note that the hometown of Jesus(as) in our extant texts is Nazareth (GOB 9:1; Matthew 2:23; Luke 4:16).⁴⁰ But in our study, this name could be a corruption/contraction of the original world Gennesaret a known town besides the sea of Galilee near Capernaum. But we have a new town called Nazareth inland and far from the sea. We need to know if the hometown of Jesus(as) is located inland (i.e. far from the lake/sea of Galilee) as what the modern location of Nazareth nowadays or it is just besides the lake/sea of Galilee such as Gennesaret. The matching narratives of Barnabas and Matthew that mentioned Jesus(as) visited his hometown by boat and then going to Capernaum (Luke 4:31 & 5:1) strongly indicate that land of Gennesaret was the true hometown of Jesus(as).⁴¹ The description getting into a boat is not consistent with the current location of the new town Nazareth which is far from the sea/lake. In Luke 4:16, it is mentioned Jesus(as) returned to Nazareth, the town/city he was brought up (Luke 4:16) and then later on ‘he went/came down to Capernaum (Luke 4:31, in ESV, NIV, KJV, NKJV, NASB, ASV, ERV, ISV, etc.). The description went down means his town/city Nazareth is just little bit north of Capernaum, a description not consistent for the modern inland Nazareth because its location is farther south-west of Capernaum so that Jesus(as) is expected to go up to Capernaum and not to go down. But in Luke 4:31, it says he went down" to Capernaum an obviously wrong description of Jesus(as) movement or travel.

Luke’s description went down to Capernaum (Luke 4:31) is a reversed of the correct description reported in Barnabas. The latter correctly described Jesus’(as) travel, i.e. he went up from his hometown Gennesaret to Capernaum (GOB 21:1). His true hometown Gennesaret is truly little bit south (i.e. adjacent south-west) of Capernaum and is near the seashore (GOB 20:1), hence he went up to Capernaum.⁴² But still in Luke, the next events of Jesus’(as) activities shows clearly that he is in the vicinity of the seashores of Galilee such as in lake Gennesaret itself (Luke 5:1), Capernaum (Luke 7:1), in Magdala the town of Mary Magdalene (Luke 8:2), and those towns at the other side of the lake (Luke 8:22). This strongly indicates his hometown is near the lake.

Another hint is the calling of Matthew or Levi as an apostle. Jesus(as) met him in Capernaum after he visited his hometown Nesaret/Nazareth. It is clear to us if we compare Matthew 9:1 and 9:9 to Luke 4:16 and 5:27 that the vicinity of this meeting is near the lake. The description getting into a boat in Matthew 9:1 to reach his hometown/city reveals the fact that his true hometown is not inland Nazareth but actually Gennesaret near the lake/sea of Galilee. But later on this was being corrupted as Nesaret/Nazareth by Pauline authors in their attempt to explain the famous epithet of Jesus(as) as a Nazarene/Nasarene/Nasrani. What makes the confusion worst, is that this shortened name Nesaret/Nazareth is being identified or located by later Pauline Christians as a land far from the seashore and farther south of Capernaum. Again, if Jesus(as) is truly from this far land, he should travel up (i.e. went up) to Capernaum and not travel down (i.e. went down) as wrongly described in Luke 4:31. It reveals that even the Pauline author has no real knowledge of the true location of modern Nazareth. He has a different place in mind as the hometown for Jesus(as) now forgotten.

After proving that the title Nazarene has nothing to do with the town of Jesus(as) we will now look the origin of the word Nazarene. The word Nazarene or Nazarite is derived from the word Nazareus which is a Latin form of the Hebrew nominative word Nazar/Nazir.⁴³ It has two Greek forms due to the confused authors of the Pauline gospels – Nazarenus (Nazarene) and Nazoraios (Nazorean). The etymological derivation of the word Nazarene can be traced in this path: Nazir – Nazoraios – Nazareus – Nazarene. Its Arabic equivalent is Nasrani (singular form) or Nasara (plural form). The Quran used the word Nasara in referring those believers of Jesus(as) in the Arabian Peninsula specifically in Yathrib confirming Nazarene as not derived from a place or name of the town but a religious appellation. In the Gospel of Barnabas, the group of Jesus(as) is indeed called Nazarenes that is connected to the idea of purification or repentance as indicated in Mark 1:14-15 and Acts 21:17-26:

GOB 193:8. "A great multitude of the Jews and some of the Pharisees believed in