The MAJOR & MINOR Prophets - The 16 Writing Prophets Of The Hebrew Canon

1. Seven weeks = 49 years 2. Sixty-two weeks = 434 years 3. One week = seven years

7KHUH VKDOO EH VHYHQ ZHHNV« 7KH SURSKHF\ LV WR EHJLQ ´IURP WKH JRLQJ IRUWK RI WKH FRPPDQG WR UHVWRUH DQG EXLOG -HUXVDOHPµ 'DQLHO ,W LV JHQHUDOO\ DFFHSWHG WKDW WKHUH ZHUH three decrees issued by Persian kings for this purpose: in 536 B.C., 457 B.C. and 444 B.C. The most logical date for the decree would be 457 B.C., but disagreement exists about which king made the decree. It was probably made by either Artaxerxes 4XHHQ (VWKHU· s step-son) in the seventh year of his reign, or by Cyrus. 34 (]UD ZDV FKRVHQ WR IXOILOO WKH GHFUHH (]UD 'XULQJ WKH ILUVW ´VHYHQ ZHHNVµ RU \HDUV WKH FLW\ RI -HUXVDOHP ZDV DFWXDOO\ UHEXLOW ´LQ WURXEOHVRPH WLPHVµ 'DQLHO 7KH ERRN RI Nehemiah records the exciting story. The fall of Babylon at the hands of the Medes and Persians occurred in 538 B. C. Two years later Cyrus, King of Persia, issued a decree allowing the Jews to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the Temple. Note that Isaiah prophesied that Cyrus would be used by the Lord in the restoration of the Temple (Isaiah 44:28; 45:1-4, 13; 46:11), the dating of the Seventy Weeks Prophecy actually begins with the decree issued in 457 B.C. 35 (]UD VKRZV XV WKH IXOILOOPHQW RI 'DQLHO·V prophecy. Approximately 59 years after the completion of the Temple, Ezra arrived in Jerusalem and began his work of spiritual restoration. About thirteen years later Nehemiah arrived in the capacity of governor. Thus Ezra and Nehemiah, two of the great personalities of the Bible, were brought together in the work of IXOILOOLQJ *RG·V :RUG «$QG VL[W\ -two weeks. 7KH ´VHYHQ ZHHNV DQG VL[W\ - WZR ZHHNVµ RU \HDUV ZHUH WR UHDFK IURP $UWD[HU[HV· GHFUHH ´XQWLO WKH 0HVVLDK WKH 3ULQFHµ 'DQLHO . Adding 483 years to 457 B.C. would bring us to A.D. 26, the year scholars believe Jesus was anointed Messiah by the Holy Spirit at the river Jordan. Jesus was anointed at age thirty (Numbers 4; Luke 3:23), which would make it the year A.D. 30. So, when the known error of four years in our present calendar LV DFFRXQWHG IRU 'DQLHO·V SURSKHF\ ILQGV GUDPDWLF IXOILOOPHQW SLQSRLQWLQJ WKH H[DFW \HDU LQ history when Jesus would be anointed Messiah!

34 According to Bishop Ussher, this command was given by King Artaxerxes in 457 B.C. (Ezra 7). The Zondervan NIV Bible Commentary also accepts WKLV GDWH ³7KH PRVW OLNHO\ IXOILOOPHQW LV WKH GHFUHH LVVXHG WR (]UD LQ WKH VHYHQWK \HDU RI $UWD[HU[HV , L H % & ´ S The Pulpit Commentary marks the date at 458 B.C. Since these dates are so close, we will use the 457 B.C. date to serve as the beginning point of the prophecy, with the understanding that it could be one year earlier. These are lunar years rather than 365-day calendar years. Conner presents a convincing argument that it was actually the decree of Cyrus that was given in 457 B. C. (see Chapter 7, The Seventy Weeks +H EDVHV KLV FRQFOXVLRQ RQ WKH WKRURXJK ZRUN RI 0DUWLQ $QVWH\¶V Chronology of the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 1973) and also a careful analysis of what God said concerning Cyrus (Isaiah 44:26-28; 45:1-13). 35 An interesting side thought: The captivity began in 606 B.C. and ended in 536 B.C., so the length of the exile was 70 years ± a remarkable fulfillment of Jeremiah 25:11-12.

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