The meaning of AD is Anno Domini or Year of our Lord referring to the year of Christ’s birth. The meaning of BC is Before Christ. CE is a recent term.  It refers to Common Era and is used in place of A.D. the dates are the same i.e., 2009 AD is 2009 CE. BCE means Before Common Era.  For example 400 BC is 400 BCE.

When did we start using AD and BC?  Why?

Many different calendars have been used since man began tracking time.  Most start with some epoch event or person. The use of BC and AD for numbering calendar years was invented by Dionysius Exiguus in 525 AD.  His purpose was to determine the correct date for Easter under the direction of Pope St. John I.

Prior to this time, one method for determining Easter was based on a 532 year calendar cycle stemming from the Alexandrian era.  Other methods were also used which led to the confusion.  Dionysius was asked to determine a method for calculating Easter that would then be used by the entire church. Dionysius did not want to perpetuate the name of Alexander, the Great Persecutor.  He decided to start his 532-year cycle from 753 years after the Founding of Rome.

Today, based on historical evidence relating to Herod and astronomical data from the study of eclipses and star novas, most historians believe Christ was born a few years earlier. Dionysius named the years relating to his cycle, BC meaning Before Christ, which starts with year 1 and AD meaning Anno Domini, the year of Our Lord referring to the year of Christ’s birth. This is also a year 1.  There is no year 0.  That’s the reason purists insists the 21st century began January 1, 2001.   For example, the first year began in 1 AD and ended the beginning of  2 AD. So the first year of the 21st century begins in 2001 AD and ends with the beginning of 2002 AD. It took about 400 years for the dating system devised by Dionysius to reach common usage. In combination with the Julian Calendar system that determines the beginning of months and years, this continued until 1582 AD.  The number of each year is based on the Dionysius numbering system.

For more information on how it spread read our article What Did We Use Before BC and AD. The need for the introduction of the Gregorian Calendar came about because a year is not exactly 365 days long.  It is 365 and a quarter days long.  Every four years, March 1st moved behind a day until after centuries instead of being early spring March 1st was now the beginning of winter.  Something had to be done. The Gregorian Calendar was introduced in the Catholic parts of Europe in 1582 A.D.  by Pope Gregory XIII (then the religious leader of the Roman Catholic faith). It was an improvement upon the Julian Calendar to keep the average length of the calendar year better in line with the seasons.

Now here's a rule that will drive you crazy.  The rules, months, and days of the Gregorian calendar are the same as those of the Julian Calendar, except for the leap year rules. In the Gregorian calendar, a year is a leap year if the year number is evenly divisible by 4.  However century years follow a different rule. The number must be divisible by both 100 and 400 to be a leap year; otherwise it is not a leap year. For example, 1600 and 2000 are leap years, but 1700, 1800, and 1900 are not.

"The legal code of the United States does not specify an official national calendar. Use of the Gregorian calendar in the United States is a result of an Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom in 1751, which specified use of the Gregorian calendar in England and its colonies. However, its adoption in the United Kingdom and other countries was fraught with confusion, controversy, and even violence. It also had a deeper cultural impact through the disruption of traditional festivals and calendrical practices." (Seidelmann, P. Kenneth, Explanatory Supplement, United States Naval Observatory. Nautical Almanac, pg. 578)

The widespread use of the Gregorian calendar and the use of BC and AD throughout the world came about thanks to the colonization practices of Europe. And economic pressures of a worldwide economy led by Europe and the United States. This is gradually changing as more and more academic writers prefer the use of CE  rather than AD.

Related Articles:

What Did We Use Before BC and AD

The Second Coming of Christ

"And as he sat upon the Mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?"  Matthew 24:3

Many of you sent emails after the recent horrendous weather events and world uproars asking if Revelation is happening now. You wanted to know the Signs of the Times. The answer is that yes the events predicted in the book of Revelation are happening now and have been for decades.

Revelation, Daniel and Isaiah all predict great and terrible events for these the last days.  A terrible apostasy.  A great restoration of the fullness of the gospel.  The terrible commotion of all the elements.  The great opportunity to preach the Gospel throughout the whole earth.   Wars and rumors of wars spreading fear.  And Christ promising peace in the hearts of his followers.

The Bible gives us specific prayers to pray and actions to take to help us through these times.  These are at the end of this article.

The policy of the Bible Timeline site and the Question-of-the-week email is to present information using the actual words of the Bible but not the interpretation of it as that varies sect by sect.  This is especially true when it comes to the interpretation of the revelations concerning the last days.

For example, the word "Rapture" is not used in the English Bible although it is in Greek.  Each sect has different expectations of the "Rapture".  Some expect it to be one event, others suggest two raptures and another defines it as ongoing.   Many say this is an actual event of lifting of people to meet Christ, others say this is an ongoing spiritual event of those turning to Christ.  Others do not use the word at all. For that reason, this issue gives a short one line description of each event in the order it is expected to occur.  Many events are simultaneous and ongoing. Each line is followed by the scriptures where the revelations are found.  All sects seem to be in agreement on this much. This is enough to know how to prepare for these calamitous events.  For the interpretation of each event, please see your local minister or Christian author.  The prayer for understanding is always answered.

WHERE ARE THE REVELATIONS FOUND?

The revelations concerning the last days are found throughout the Bible but primarily in the following books of the Bible: Isaiah Jeremiah Ezekiel Daniel Hosea Joel Amos Micah Nahum Zechariah Malachi Revelation chapters 4-20. Christ gives the best summary of these events and how to prepare for them. These are found in Matthew chapters 24-25, Mark chapter 13, Luke 12: 37-48, Luke 17: 20-37 and Luke 21: 5-38

LIST OF THE PRIMARY EVENTS PRECEDING CHRIST'S SECOND COMING

• Spirit to be poured out on all flesh (Joel 2:28)
• Universal apostasy (2 Thessalonians 2:1-4)
• The watering down of the gospel, teaching the doctrines of man rather than those of God.  Even priests will be led astray.  (2 Tim 3:5, Matt 15:9)
• False prophets and false Christs (Matthew 24:24)
• Good will be called evil and evil good. (Isaiah 5:20)
• Restoration of all things (Acts 3:19-21)
• Gospel to be preached to all the world (Matthew 24:14, Revelation 14:6-7)
• Worldly knowledge to increase (Daniel 12:4)
• Israel to be restored as a political state (Deuteronomy 28:64, 30:3 Jeremiah 29:14, 30:3 Isaiah 43:5-6, Ezekiel 36:24, Amos 9:14-15
• Earthquakes, floods, famines, plagues and diseases such as the world has never seen. (Matthew 24 and Luke 21)
• Peace taken from the earth.  Wars increase throughout the earth until war is on every land (Matthew 24 and Luke 21)
• The increase in the wickedness, murder, and crime among men.  The increase in belief in the occult. (Matthew 24, Luke 21, 2 Timothy 3:1-5, 4:3-4)
• People will not believe the signs (2 Peter 3:3-4, Matthew 16:1-4)
• Increase in persecution of the Christians (Matthew 24:9, Mark 13:9)
• Christ will come suddenly to His temple. (Malachi 3:1)
• Signs and Wonders in heaven (Mark 13:25)
• Mountains made low, valleys made high (Isaiah 40, Ezekiel 38)
• Christ to receive his dominion from the Ancient of Days (Daniel 7:9-14)
• Two prophets preach in Jerusalem for 1260 days. They have the power to bring famines and plagues.  They are killed and lie dead in the streets for three and a half days while the wicked of the earth rejoice in the streets and exchange gifts in celebration of their deaths.  On the third day, they arise striking fear in the hearts of the wicked. (Revelation 11)
• Armageddon.  The nations of the earth gather to fight Israel at Jerusalem,  at Armageddon in the valley of Jehoshaphat. (Revelation 16:16)
• Sun darkened, the moon becomes as blood (Joel 2:31, Acts 2:20, Revelation 6:12)
• Jerusalem is taken captive, the houses riled, the women ravished. (Zechariah 14:2)
• The Lord appears at Mount Olivet leading his people to victory (Ezekiel 38, 39, Daniel 11, 12, Joel 2,3)
• Christ appears to all the earth. Every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess that Jesus is the Christ. (Philippians 2:11)
• The righteous caught up to Christ, the wicked burned as stubble.   (Malachi chapters 3-4)
• The judgment and first resurrection (Matthew 25:31-46, Revelation 20:5-6)
• The thousand years of peace ushered in, Christ to reign personally on the earth (Revelation chapters 20-21)

If you know of more, such as Israel sacrificing a red bullock without spot, please let me know. Be sure to include the scripture reference.  I will add them to this post.

HOW TO PREPARE

When Christ told of the signs of the times, he also gave three parables.  Two of them are referred to in this section. The parable of the ten virgins. Matthew 25:1-13. The believers of Christ are likened to ten virgins.  Five were wise and kept their lamps filled.  Five were foolish.  Like the wise and the foolish builders, this refers to faith.  Five were strong in the faith, having a personal relationship with God and letting their lights shine forth.  Five were foolish or hypocritical.  They slumbered and let their lamps of faith go out.  To endure to the end, we must practice our faith daily.  This includes daily prayer and scripture study. Specific things to pray for: During these tumultuous times many of us will need to flee either due to war or natural disaster.  Christ tells us specifically to pray that our flight will not be in winter.  Mark 13:18 We are told that the time will be shortened, or else even the very elect might be deceived. Luke tells us to watch and pray that we enter not into temptation (Luke 22:40,46)

Pray to endure to the end (Luke 21:34-36)

We know that before the end times and tribulations are finished that the Gospel must be preached to all the earth.  Therefore, we should pray that those countries that refuse to have Christian ministers preach in their borders will do so.  Russia has opened her borders to Christian ministries and so will all of the nations eventually.

Prepare for the day of judgment.  Christ says he will judge all of his followers during the first resurrection.  These are they who called him Lord.  He tells us in Matthew 25:31-36 how he will judge us.  Verse 40 summarizes the criteria: "For as ye have done it unto the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."

Always remember Christ's promises to us during these times:  “Peace I give unto you. My peace I leave with you.”

Just as the early Christians were miraculously saved from the destruction of Jerusalem by paying attention to the signs, so can we be protected as we learn the signs and keep our spiritual houses in order. The Jewish people knew that the "abomination of desolation" prophesied by Daniel had already occurred in 170 BC.  Christ told them to watch for the same signs we are to watch for and to flee to the mountains when they saw those signs.   The early Christians fled to Pella, a nearby city, upon seeing the city was encompassed by soldiers under Gallus.  Four years later came the fall of Jerusalem.  Over a million citizens of Jersusalem were killed and 100,000 led away captive.  The temple, as prophesied by Christ, was laid waste with not one stone left upon another.  The Christians who fled were safe.

The word Bible comes from a Latin form of the Greek word Biblia which means "little books." The Bible refers to the collection of 66 books from different authors compiled to make up what we refer to today as "The Holy Bible". Thirty-nine of the original books kept by ancient Israel in Hebrews are the ones we know today as The Old Testament.

The last section of the Bible known familiarly as The New Testament is comprised of 27 books or letters written in Greek. The Greek used was not formal Greek, but the conversational Greek used at the time of the Apostles.

Forty men shared in the writing of the Bible over a span of about 1,600 years from the time of Moses to the last book written by John. The last book of the Old Testament, Malachi, was written about 443 B.C. The first book of the New Testament, Matthew, was written about 40 A.D. leaving a 500-year gap between the Old and New Testament books.

Below is a table showing when each book was written, where, by whom and the time frame covered. This is in the order of when each book was written. [The symbol “a.” means after, “b.” means before and “c.” means circa or about.]

 Who Wrote the Book of Hebrews?

The Bible doesn't say exactly how long Job suffered.

Job 7:3 says, "So I have been allotted months of futility, and wearisome nights have been appointed to me." and Job 29:2says, "Oh, that I were as in months past, as in the days when God watched over me." Also Job 30:16 and Job 30:27 talks of the days of his affliction.

According to Job 2:13  his friends sat with him 7 days and 7 nights without speaking, but we don't know how long he suffered before they came or how long after they left.
He doesn't mention years, only days and months when he speaks of his afflictions so probably less than a year and more than a couple of months.