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Throughout the centuries, people who reject the Bible continue to challenge its authenticity. In spite of this, the Hebrew Scriptures remain infallible. In testimony to the entire world, the LORD provides the final atonement through which fallen mankind can be redeemed and reconciled to Himself. In John 5:39 Jesus tells us, “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.”
Jesus’ words were certainly true, for Moses and the prophets described the Messiah with great detail throughout the Scriptures. But with pinpoint accuracy, flawless precision and in absolute defiance to the unbeliever, it was through the prophet Daniel that the LORD God revealed the exact month and year in which His Son the Messiah would make His entrance into the world and establish the New Covenant. This prophecy, found in Daniel 9:24-27, records the words of the angel Gabriel who tells the prophet:
In this passage, the angel Gabriel appears to Daniel near the end of Israel’s seventy-year captivity in Babylon. King Nebuchadnezzar had previously conquered Israel in 607/606 BC and took the people captive. The book of Jeremiah predicts the eventual return from this captivity and establishes the basis for Daniel’s beliefs. Daniel 9:2 states, “In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.”
Regarding the land of Israel and its inhabitants, Daniel was fully aware of the prophecy written in Jeremiah 25:11: “And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years.”
Daniel was also aware that, after the seventy-years expired, the children of Israel would be allowed to return to their land. Jeremiah 29:10 tells us, “For thus saith the LORD, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place.”
In the beginning of Daniel chapter 9, Daniel prayed. He confessed to the LORD God his own sins and the sins of his people that resulted in their punishment and their exile to Babylon. He expressed that they had all done wickedly and committed iniquity and rebellion against God. Also they had refused to hearken to the prophets and failed to keep His laws, commandments and statutes. Most importantly, Daniel was extremely concerned about whether or not his people had truly repented for their sins during their captivity. We can see this evidence in Daniel 9:13, “As it is written in the law of Moses, all this evil is come upon us: yet made we not our prayer before the LORD our God, that we might turn from our iniquities, and understand thy truth.”
Daniel was concerned about his people’s repentance for a reason. In Leviticus chapter 26, the LORD told Moses that if the children of Israel refuse to come to repentance and be reformed during their punishments, He would push the punishment to the next level and punish them yet seven times more for their continued hardness of heart. The next level would result in 490 years of additional judgment on top of the 70 years of punishment that was about to come to an end. The applicable passages from Leviticus chapter 26 follow:
After nearly seventy years of exile, seven times the punishment for his people was more than Daniel could bear. Remembering Leviticus 26:40-43, Daniel began to repent on behalf of his people while reminding God of the everlasting covenant that He made with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob:
“If they shall confess their iniquity, and the iniquity of their fathers, with their trespass which they trespassed against me, and that also they have walked contrary unto me; (41) And that I also have walked contrary unto them, and have brought them into the land of their enemies; if then their uncircumcised hearts be humbled, and they then accept of the punishment of their iniquity: (42) Then will I remember my covenant with Jacob, and also my covenant with Isaac, and also my covenant with Abraham will I remember; and I will remember the land. (43) The land also shall be left of them, and shall enjoy her sabbaths, while she lieth desolate without them: and they shall accept of the punishment of their iniquity: because, even because they despised my judgments, and because their soul abhorred my statutes.”
Daniel, in deep concern for his people, bitterly pleaded to the LORD God of Israel for mercy and forgiveness. According to Daniel 9:24-26 the angel Gabriel, a messenger of God, came to him with both good news and bad news. Though the children of Israel would be allowed to return to their land after the seventy years were expired, it would be ‘seventy weeks’, or seventy years times seven (490 years), through which reconciliation for iniquity, everlasting righteousness and the anointing of the most Holy place would occur. Because the children of Israel had failed to truly repent during their captivity, they would be punished. They would be allowed to return to their land, but there would be seven times more punishment for their stubbornness as promised in Leviticus chapter 26. For an additional seventy weeks of years, they were placed under the authority of pagan kings.
According to Daniel 9:25, Gabriel told the prophet when the time period would begin. It would commence with the decree to restore and build Jerusalem. Furthermore, it would be sixty-nine weeks of years, or 483 years from the time that the decree would be given to rebuild Jerusalem to the time that the Messiah the Prince would fulfill the prophecy. Finally, according to Daniel 9:26, the Messiah would be cut off or killed at the end of this sixty-nine weeks or 483 year period.
Many people question why the sixty-nine weeks in Daniel 9:25 are broken down into increments of seven weeks and sixty-two weeks. In order to address this issue, it is important to realize that when the exile began, the LORD considered it important that the land of Israel itself would keep her Sabbaths and rest. One of the reasons why Israel was punished and exiled into Babylon was because the people failed to keep the Sabbath rest for the land as commanded in Leviticus chapter 25. This is explained in 2 Chronicles 36:20-21 as follows:
It is important to realize that God used cycles of seven years or weeks of years in dealing with Israel and counting time. The seventy weeks or 490 year prophecy of Daniel that began with the decree to restore and build Jerusalem was a continuation in seven-year cycles that included the Sabbath rest of the land. God did not end these cycles when Israel returned to the land. However, they continued until the coming of the Messiah and the fulfillment of the prophecy.
Leviticus chapter 25 describes what must take place when the children of Israel are brought into the land. Leviticus 25:1-2 begins, “And the LORD spake unto Moses in mount Sinai, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye come into the land which I give you, then shall the land keep a sabbath unto the LORD.”
The Bible explains in Leviticus 25:3-4 that there would be six years of sowing and reaping. However, on the seventh year the land should remain inactive, and rest. “Six years thou shalt sow thy field, and six years thou shalt prune thy vineyard, and gather in the fruit thereof; But in the seventh year shall be a sabbath of rest unto the land, a sabbath for the LORD: thou shalt neither sow thy field, nor prune thy vineyard.”
Then Leviticus 25:8-10 explains that after seven sabbaths of years, or 49 years, on the tenth day of the seventh month which coincides with Yom Kippur, the trumpet will sound proclaiming liberty to all the inhabitants throughout the land. This fiftieth year, beginning on Yom Kippur, is called the year of Jubilee:
“And thou shalt number seven sabbaths of years unto thee, seven times seven years; and the space of the seven sabbaths of years shall be unto thee forty and nine years. (9) Then shalt thou cause the trumpet of the jubile to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month, in the day of atonement shall ye make the trumpet sound throughout all your land. (10) And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof: it shall be a jubile unto you; and ye shall return every man unto his possession, and ye shall return every man unto his family.”
This proclamation, which began on the fiftieth year on Yom Kippur, had a dual significance. On this day, the entire nation of Israel became clean from all their sins when the high priest provided the sacrifices and burnt offerings. We can see in Leviticus 16:30, “For on that day shall the priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that ye may be clean from all your sins before the LORD.”
During the year of Jubilee, every debt between each individual was wiped clean and declared null and void. God erased every person’s debt and completely restored each individual to Himself and to each other. Leviticus 25:11 clearly defines that, “A jubile shall that fiftieth year be unto you: ye shall not sow, neither reap that which groweth of itself in it, nor gather he grapes in it of thy vine undressed.”
The combination of both the Day of Atonement and the Year of Jubilee provides the complete picture of the future reign of King Messiah. Mankind will be reconciled with the Holy God of Israel and liberty will be proclaimed throughout the land.
According to Daniel 9:26, at the end of the first seven weeks or 49 years, Israel would celebrate the Jubilee. This would then provide the foundation for the next sixty-two weeks of years or 434 years. The Jubilee would focus Israel on the coming of King Messiah to atone for sin and proclaim liberty throughout the land.
Even though Israel's exile into Babylon officially began in approximately 607/606 BC, Nebuchadnezzar’s final destruction of Israel did not occur until the summer of 586 BC.1 Then in 539 BC, the Babylonian Empire fell to the Persian King, Cyrus the Great. The Persian Empire lasted until 332 BC, when it was defeated by the Greek general Alexander the Great at the battle of Guagemala River.2 In this year, the Greek Empire took control of the Persian Empire and dominated most of the civilized world.
According to recorded history, the Persian Empire ruled over Israel for a total of 207 years, from 539 BC to 332 BC. This world empire began with Cyrus the Great and the fall of Babylon. It ended with Alexander the Great's victory. These facts are important since the Persian kings played critical roles with respect to Bible prophecy, especially in regards to the ‘Seventy Weeks of Daniel.' One of these kings, Artaxerxes I, issued the commandment to restore and build Jerusalem.
Secular history supports and justifies ALL dates of the reigns of the Persian kings mentioned in the Bible. When reviewing the history of these great kings it is important to be aware that, similar to the titles Caesar and Tsar, Artaxerxes is merely a title given to a Persian king. It is not a name at all!
Throughout the duration of the Persian Empire, there were several kings who were known as Artaxerxes, including Cambyses who was the son and successor of Cyrus the Great. In addition, the king who provided the decree to restore and build Jerusalem was also known as Artaxerxes. Some historical resource materials refer to him as either Artaxerxes I or Artaxerxes Longimanus. He was the son of Xerxes, who was also called Ahasuerus in the Bible.
Throughout recorded history, the chronological order of the Persian kings from Cyrus the Great to Darius III is supported and documented as follows:
The Hebrew Scriptures identify all six kings from Cyrus the Great to Artaxerxes I. As a result, the Bible is in total agreement with recorded history. The historical events in the Hebrew Scriptures end with the book of Nehemiah and the reign of Artaxerxes I. The key Biblical references to these six kings are as follows:
The First King: Cyrus the Great. He became the king of Persia in 559 BC. In 553 BC, a date that is firmly established in the Annals of Nabonid,12 Babylonian historical records, he revolted against Media and in 550 BC conquered the whole of the Median kingdom. Then in 546 BC, Cyrus conquered the kingdom of Lydia.13 In the following year, he took the whole of Asia Minor.14 While large parts of the Babylonian territory were conquered, he did not conquer the Babylonian Empire and establish his world dominance until 539 BC. Cyrus ruled over Israel from 539 BC to 530/529 BC. He issued the decree during the first year of his reign to allow the Jews to return home and rebuild the temple in Jerusalem.15
Ezra 1:2 “Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, The LORD God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.”
The Second King: Cambyses also known as Ahasuerus [see Ezra 4:6]. He was the son and successor of Cyrus the Great. He reigned from 530/529 BC to 522/521 BC BC. Like his father, he continued in world dominance. After conquering Egypt in 526 BC, he was made Pharoah.16 He was assassinated while traveling back from Egypt with his army in 522/521 BC.
The Third King: Pseudo Smerdis also known as Artaxerxes - an impostor to the throne. He ruled in 521 BC. After hearing that the Jews were rebuilding Jerusalem without any authorization while they were rebuilding the temple, Ezra 4:7, 21 reveals that he issued a decree ceasing all building until a further decree would be given. He was killed by his successor King Darius before providing that decree.
The Fourth King: Darius the Great. He ruled from 521 BC to 485 BC. He was a remote cousin of Cambyses. He was a strong ruler. He built the great cities of Susa and Persepolis and a tremendous road system throughout the empire. He tried to expand his empire westard and invaded Greece. In 499 BC, some of the Ionian Greek cities in the Greecian settlements along the turkish coast rebelled against Persia, and in 494 BC, Darius finally stopped the uprising.18 Having set out to conquer the rest of Greece, his troops were defeated at the battle of Marathon in 490 BC.19 The Persian wars, beginning with this battle, would last for a total of 42 years into the reigns of his son and grandson. Darius reversed Pseudo Smerdis' decree and allowed the temple to be completed. It was during his reign that the temple was finished in 516 BC.20
Ezra 4:24 “Then ceased the work of the house of God which is at Jerusalem. So it ceased unto the second year of the reign of
Darius king of Persia.”
The Fifth King: Xerxes, also known as Ahasuerus. He reigned from 485 BC to 465 BC. Xerxes became the king of Persia at the death of his father Darius the Great in 485 BC. In 480 BC he took 200,000 men and 1000 ships and moved by land and sea through Thracia, in eastern Greece, and eventually defeated the Greeks at the battle of Thermopylae.21 Then in 479 BC, Xerxes took Athens, but while he was burning the temples of the Acropolis, the Athenians quashed his fleet of ships in the battle of Salamis.22 Then in the same year, his army was defeated at the battle of Plataea.23 He burned many Greek cities and stirred the Greeks against the Persians.
The prophet Daniel specifically foretells that the fourth king of Persia, who was Xerxes, will incite the anger of Greece. Daniel 11:2 states:
“And now will I shew thee the truth. Behold, there shall stand up yet three kings in Persia; and the fourth shall be far richer than they all: and by his strength through his riches he shall stir up all against the realm of Grecia.”
There can be no doubt that Xerxes’ battles with Greece and the destruction of their cities and temples created a lasting hatred and hostility. It was also the fulfillment of Daniel’s prophecy. In 465 BC, Xerxes was assassinated by one of his sons. In the Bible, he is the king in the Book of Esther:
Esther 1:1-2 “Now it came to pass in the days of Ahasuerus, (this is Ahasuerus which reigned, from India even unto Ethiopia, over an hundred and seven and twenty provinces) (2) That in those days, when the king Ahasuerus sat on the throne of his kingdom, which was in Shushan the palace,”
The Sixth King: Artaxerxes I, Longimanus. He ruled from 465 BC to 425/424 BC and was the grandson of Darius the Great and son of Xerxes. His empire was marked with peace and tranquility. Under his rule there was no expansion. In 449 BC, he ended the Persian Wars started by Darius the Great.24 Jewish history records that his elder brother murdered him in 425/424 BC in a power struggle for the throne.25 In Biblical history, most importantly, he was the king that provided the decree to restore and build the city of Jerusalem. Artaxerxes I reigned during the time of Nehemiah as evidenced in the book of Nehemiah:
Nehemiah 5:14 "Moreover from the time that I [Nehemiah] was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year even unto the two and thirtieth year of Artaxerxes the king, that is, twelve years, I and my brethren have not eaten the bread of the governor."
The people of Greece never forgot what happened to their cities and their temples at the hands of the Persian Empire during the reign of Xerxes in 479 BC (Daniel 11:2). It would be approximately 147 years later, in 332 BC, when Alexander the Great and his army took vengeance against the Persian Empire by defeating king Darius III at the historic battle of Guagemala River. Daniel 11:3-4 prophesies the end of the Persian Empire:
At the height of his power, Alexander the Great died. As a result, his empire was divided into four smaller kingdoms in fulfillment of Daniel 11:4.26
According to the Scriptures, three Persian kings provided decrees in support of the return of the children of Israel from their captivity in Babylon. This is found in Ezra 6:14 which identifies each of the kings in order of his reign as Cyrus, Darius and Artaxerxes:
The Bible is clear that Cyrus the Great decreed that the house of God, the temple, would be rebuilt. Written almost two hundred years prior to the reign of Cyrus, Isaiah 44:28 shows, “That saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure: even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid.”
Cyrus made his edict during the first year of his reign, in approximately 538 BC. Though Cyrus acknowledged that Jerusalem would eventually be rebuilt, he would only provide the decree to rebuild the temple and not to rebuild the entire city of Jerusalem. Ezra 1:2-3 confirms this:
“Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, The LORD God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. (3) Who is there among you of all his people? his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of the LORD God of Israel, (he is the God,) which is in Jerusalem.”
In spite of Cyrus’ decree to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem, Cambyses stopped the work. However, his successor king Darius established his own personal decree in the second year of his reign. Darius’ decree regarding the temple is the first to reinforce and support Cyrus’ decree. Just as in Cyrus’ decree, the commandment of king Darius dealt only with the temple. Ezra 6:7-12 records the words of Darius as follows:
“Let the work of this house of God alone; let the governor of the Jews and the elders of the Jews build this house of God in his place. (8) Moreover I make a decree what ye shall do to the elders of these Jews for the building of this house of God: that of the king's goods, even of the tribute beyond the river, forthwith expenses be given unto these men, that they be not hindered. (9) And that which they have need of, both young bullocks, and rams, and lambs, for the burnt offerings of the God of heaven, wheat, salt, wine, and oil, according to the appointment of the priests which are at Jerusalem, let it be given them day by day without fail: (10) That they may offer sacrifices of sweet savours unto the God of heaven, and pray for the life of the king, and of his sons. (11) Also I have made a decree, that whosoever shall alter this word, let timber be pulled down from his house, and being set up, let him be hanged thereon; and let his house be made a dunghill for this. (12) And the God that hath caused his name to dwell there destroy all kings and people, that shall put to their hand to alter and to destroy this house of God which is at Jerusalem. I Darius have made a decree; let it be done with speed.”
Though Cyrus and Darius provided the commandments to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem, it was actually king Artaxerxes I Longimanus, a successor of king Darius, who provided the decree and commandment to restore and build the city of Jerusalem.
Artaxerxes I began his reign as the king of Persia in 465 BC. Up until this moment in time and according to the information given in Nehemiah 1:3-4, Nehemiah 2:3 and Nehemiah 7:4, it is clear that the city was not yet rebuilt:
According to Nehemiah 2:1-8, in the month of Nisan in the twentieth year of his reign, king Artaxerxes I Longimanus established his decree to restore and build Jerusalem. Since history records that Artaxerxes began his reign in 465 BC, this commandment took place in Nisan 445 BC:
“And it came to pass in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king, that wine was before him: and I took up the wine, and gave it unto the king. Now I had not been beforetime sad in his presence. (2) Wherefore the king said unto me, Why is thy countenance sad, seeing thou art not sick? this is nothing else but sorrow of heart. Then I was very sore afraid, (3) And said unto the king, Let the king live for ever: why should not my countenance be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers' sepulchres, lieth waste, and the gates thereof are consumed with fire? (4) Then the king said unto me, For what dost thou make request? So I prayed to the God of heaven. (5) And I said unto the king, If it please the king, and if thy servant have found favour in thy sight, that thou wouldest send me unto Judah, unto the city of my fathers' sepulchres, that I may build it. (6) And the king said unto me, (the queen also sitting by him,) For how long shall thy journey be? and when wilt thou re turn? So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time. (7) Moreover I said unto the king, If it please the king, let letters be given me to the governors beyond the river, that they may convey me over till I come into Judah; (8) And a letter unto Asaph the keeper of the king's forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the palace which appertained to the house, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall enter into. And the king granted me, according to the good hand of my God upon me.”
In this passage, Nehemiah indicates to Artaxerxes that he was saddened by the fact that the city and the gates of Jerusalem remained in ruins (verse 3). He requested that the king grant him permission to rebuild Jerusalem and the gates of the city (verse 4-5). According to verse 8, Artaxerxes granted Nehemiah’s request with an official letter sent to Asaph, the keeper of the king’s forest, for materials needed to make beams for the gates and the walls of the city.
According to Daniel 9:25, Gabriel proclaimed that the “commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks," a total of sixty-nine weeks of years, or 483 years. Therefore, since Artaxerxes provided the specific decree to restore and to build Jerusalem in the month of Nisan in 445 BC, it was at this precise moment in history at which the countdown to the Messiah began. In addition, this month of Nisan (March/April) in 445 BC begins the seventy weeks or 490 years indicated in Daniel 9:24-26.