Daniel’s 70 weeks of years in history

Who is Zerubbabel? Scripture tells us of a Zerubbabel that was a grandson of Jeconiah, the first king taken into captivity. This occurred around 597 BC, according to the accepted chronologies. He was eighteen years old when it happened. 

• 2 Kings 24:8, 12 – Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem for three months. His mother’s name was Nehushta the daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem… Then Jehoiachin king of Judah, his mother, his servants, his princes, and his officers went out to the king of Babylon; and the king of Babylon, in the eighth year of his reign, took him prisoner. This tells us that the first captivity took place in the eighth year of Nebuchadnezzar. If the historical date is accurate, this means that Nebuchadnezzar began his reign around 606 BC. We are told Jehoiachin’s entire family was taken captive.
• 1 Chronicles 3:17-19a – And the sons of Jeconiah were Assir, Shealtiel his son, and Malchiram, Pedaiah, Shenazzar, Jecamiah, Hoshama, and Nedabiah. The sons of Pedaiah were Zerubbabel and Shimei. The sons of Zerubbabel… Here we are introduced to a Zerubbabel that is the grandson of Jeconiah. Yet we are told his father is Pedaiah, not Shealtiel. So, is this a different Zerubbabel than the one in Ezra? If Zerubbabel is related to Jeconiah, then he must have been a relatively young man at the time of Cyrus’ decree.

Whether or not the Zerubbabel of Ezra is the grandson of Jehoiachin, he is clearly the individual who laid the foundations of the Temple in the time of Cyrus. He had with him elders who had seen the Temple that Nebuchadnezzar had laid waste in 586 BC. If this was later in time when the foundation of the Temple was built, then there is no way anyone living would have seen the original Temple.   

• Ezra 2:1-2a – Now these are the people of the province who came back from the captivity, of those who had been carried away, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away to Babylon, and who returned to Jerusalem and Judah, everyone to his own city. Those who came with Zerubbabel were Jeshua…
• Ezra 2:68 – Some of the heads of the fathers’ houses, when they came to the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem, offered freely for the house of God, to erect it in its place…
• Ezra 3:2,7-8,12 – Then Jeshua the son of Jozadak and his brethren the priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and his brethren, arose and built the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings on it, as it is written in the Law of Moses the man of God… They also gave money to the masons and the carpenters, and food, drink, and oil to the people of Sidon and Tyre to bring cedar logs from Lebanon to the sea, to Joppa, according to the permission which they had from Cyrus king of Persia. Now in the second month of the second year of their coming to the house of God at Jerusalem, Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and the rest of their brethren the priests and the Levites, and all those who had come out of the captivity to Jerusalem, began work and appointed the Levites from twenty years old and above to oversee the work of the house of the Lord… But many of the priests and Levites and heads of the fathers’ houses, old men who had seen the first temple, wept with a loud voice when the foundation of this temple was laid before their eyes. Yet many shouted aloud for joy…
• Ezra 4:3-5 – But Zerubbabel and Jeshua and the rest of the heads of the fathers’ houses of Israel said to them, “You may do nothing with us to build a house for our God; but we alone will build to the Lord God of Israel, as King Cyrus the king of Persia has commanded us.” Then the people of the land tried to discourage the people of Judah. They troubled them in building and hired counselors against them to frustrate their purpose all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia. These Scriptures show, without a doubt, that Zerubbabel and his company came to rebuild the Temple in the time of Cyrus’ reign, for it is his decree that they reference as giving them authority to do so. This makes no sense if they had come later. 

• Ezra 5:13-16 – However, in the first year of Cyrus king of Babylon, King Cyrus issued a decree to build this house of God. Also, the gold and silver articles of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple that was in Jerusalem and carried into the temple of Babylon—those King Cyrus took from the temple of Babylon, and they were given to one named Sheshbazzar, whom he had made governor. And he said to him, ‘Take these articles; go, carry them to the temple site that is in Jerusalem, and let the house of God be rebuilt on its former site.’ Then the same Sheshbazzar came and laid the foundation of the house of God which is in Jerusalem; but from that time even until now it has been under construction, and it is not finished.” Sheshbazzar is clearly connected to Zerubbabel here. It is not just the Bible that connects Zerubbabel to the decree of Cyrus. Josephus does the same thing. Now, he could simply be referencing that this truth is obvious from Scripture, but it is an extra-biblical attestation to at least this reading of the biblical narrative. However, Josephus quotes in full a letter sent by Cyrus to the Jerusalem authorities, presumably based on his decree: I have given leave to as many of the Jews as please, who dwell in my country, to return to their own country and rebuild their city and build the temple of God at Jerusalem on the same place as it occupied before. I have also sent my treasurer, Mithridates, and Zerobabel, governor of the Jews (Josephus: Antiquities of the Jews, 11:1:3).
• Zechariah 4:9 – “The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this temple; his hands shall also finish it. Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent Me to you.” This shows that Zerubbabel helped lay the foundation, and that he finished it. However, there was a significant amount of time in which they were unable to finish. Because of the chronology that Ezra appears to lay out, there seems to be no way that the Temple was finished in the time of Darius I. The problem with this is that, if Zerubbabel was the leader, or at least one of them when the Temple was finished, if it was during the reign of Darius II, that would make him around 110 years old or so when the Temple was completed! Considering the context of Zechariah, this is entirely possible. It also means that Zerubbabel would have been a very young man when the foundation of the Temple was laid. However, none of this makes sense.

Ezra tells us that accusations were made against Zerubbabel in the days of Ahasuerus and then in the days of Artaxerxes. It was Artaxerxes that shut the building project down. It was then resumed under Darius. There are at least three Persian kings involved from the time of the decree to start rebuilding, and the finished project! It could be as many as five, but there is at least three. Since Ahasuerus and Artaxerxes are titles and not proper names, it can be argued that the original Ahasuerus is Cyrus himself, and that the Artaxerxes referenced afterward, the one that stopped the rebuilding project would be Cyrus’ successor, Cambyses II. He was followed by Darius I. The problem with this is that Ezra comes to finish the project, in some sense, in the reign of another Artaxerxes, who came after the aforementioned Darius.

Xerxes I immediately followed Darius I. His successor was Artaxerxes I, and then Darius II. Artaxerxes II, who followed Darius II, is likely the ruler of Ezra. However, there seems to be no way to make sense of the sequence of events that Ezra lays out if this is the correct chronology of the accusers of the Jews if it were to start with Cyrus, if Ezra’s Artaxerxes comes immediately after the Darius mentioned. We know it is a Darius, followed by another Artaxerxes that allows for the Temple to be rebuilt, with a gap of time intervening from the order to stop handed out by someone called Artaxerxes. Yet, this doesn’t comport with the Persian king’s list and the timeline given by Ezra. The solutions that seem to work are as follows: that the Artaxerxes mentioned as stopping the building, is the same Darius who allowed it to resume. This would mean that Ahasuerus is Cambyses II, rather than Cyrus, and that Darius changed his mind about the stoppage he had originally ordered when it became clear the project posed no threat and had been duly appointed by Cyrus. Conversely, and more likely, Ahasuerus could be Cyrus, Cambyses II the Artaxerxes mentioned, and then Darius I the Third.  

• Ezra 4:6-7a,23-24 – In the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem. In the days of Artaxerxes also, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabel, and the rest of their companions wrote to Artaxerxes king of Persia… Now when the copy of King Artaxerxes’ letter was read before Rehum, Shimshai the scribe, and their companions, they went up in haste to Jerusalem against the Jews, and by force of arms made them cease. Thus, the work of the house of God, which is at Jerusalem ceased, and it was discontinued until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.
• Ezra 5:1-5 – Then the prophet Haggai and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophets, prophesied to the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem, in the name of the God of Israel, who was over them. So, Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak rose up and began to build the house of God which is in Jerusalem; and the prophets of God were with them, helping them. At the same time Tattenai the governor of the region beyond the River and Shethar-Boznai and their companions came to them and spoke thus to them: “Who has commanded you to build this temple and finish this wall?” Then, accordingly, we told them the names of the men who were constructing this building.  But the eye of their God was upon the elders of the Jews, so that they could not make them cease till a report could go to Darius. Zerubbabel and Jeshua begin to rebuild, despite having been told to NOT do so! Then a report is sent to Darius, to find out if Cyrus had indeed given a command to rebuild or not.
• Haggai 1:1-2 – In the second year of King Darius, in the sixth month, on the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came by Haggai the prophet to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, saying, “Thus speaks the Lord of hosts, saying: ‘This people says, “The time has not come, the time that the Lord’s house should be built.”’ ”
• Zechariah 7:1 – Now in the fourth year of King Darius it came to pass that the word of the Lord came to Zechariah, on the fourth day of the ninth month, Chislev…
• Ezra 6:14-15 – So the elders of the Jews built, and they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. And they built and finished it, according to the commandment of the God of Israel, and according to the command of Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia. Now the temple was finished on the third day of the month of Adar, which was in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius. When the Temple is finished, it is the sixth year of Darius. Zerubbabel and Jeshua are not mentioned, though they obviously were the instigators in starting it back up, but Zechariah later tells us that Zerubbabel would finish it, so they were obviously there when the Temple was completed. This is in the sixth year of this Darius. Darius tells them to go ahead and finish their project, after finding the decree of Cyrus to do so. 

What makes the most sense, is that the Temple was finished in the days of Darius I, and that the Artaxerxes mentioned as stopping the building, was either the same person, though by his title, which we know was an historical title used by Darius, or it was Cambyses II. This means the Ahasuerus referenced by Ezra was either Cyrus or Cambyses II. The latter’s reign was short and marked by war, so it is not surprising that he would give no answer to the request, if he was this Ahasuerus. Darius was putting down lots of rebellions, especially in Asia Minor, so when the enemies of Israel accused them of wanting to do the same, it is not surprising that he would initially tell them to stop if he were Artaxerxes. The Jews continued building despite being told to stop. If all of this is true, it would mean that Ezra and Nehemiah came almost 100 years later, because their story fits in the time of Artaxerxes II.  

• Ezra 7:1a,8 – Now after these things, in the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra the son of Seraiah… And Ezra came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, which was in the seventh year of the king. Ezra comes in the seventh year of Artaxerxes. This is clearly a different king from Darius, though some argue it is just a title for that Darius. However, there is no reason for the author of Ezra to be that confusing in writing this history. It is most logical to conclude that this is in fact another Artaxerxes, who reigned after the Darius who allowed the completion of the Temple. Ezra is not coming to build anything. Rather, he is just returning with other captives to the land, to worship in the Temple that has been built. However, this is the seventh year of this Artaxerxes when he arrives.
• Nehemiah 1:1-3 – The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah. It came to pass in the month of Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the citadel, that Hanani one of my brethren came with men from Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews who had escaped, who had survived the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem. And they said to me, “The survivors who are left from the captivity in the province are there in great distress and reproach. The wall of Jerusalem is also broken down, and its gates are burned with fire.” It is clear from this story that some amount of time has elapsed between the return of the Jews with Zerubbabel and these Jews returning to Babylon. From the timeline established, this must be around 100 years. Now, that seems a very long time for the walls of Jerusalem to have sat idle, without anyone tending to them, but if you consider that the prophecy of Daniel has a break in the chronology, and must have it, if we are to begin with Cyrus as demanded, then this time gap is necessitated.
• Nehemiah 3:1 – Then Eliashib the high priest rose up with his brethren the priests and built the Sheep Gate; they consecrated it and hung its doors. They built as far as the Tower of the Hundred, and consecrated it, then as far as the Tower of Hananel. By the time of Nehemiah, Eliashib is said to be the high priest. However, later in Nehemiah, we are told about Eliashib’s family tree, which included Johanan (Jonathan) and Joiada. Johanan is mentioned in history as being high priest during the time of Darius II, in his seventeenth year. Among the Elephantine papyri, a collection of 5th century BCE Hebrew manuscripts from the Jewish community at Elephantine in Egypt, a letter was found in which Johanan is mentioned. The letter is dated “the 20th of Marshewan, year 17 of king Darius”, which corresponds to 407 BC. Josephus also lists him as Johanan (John) (Antiquities 11:297–302, Josephus).
• Nehemiah 12:10-11,22 – Jeshua begot Joiakim, Joiakim begot Eliashib, Eliashib begot Joiada, Joiada begot Jonathan, and Jonathan begot Jaddua…. During the reign of Darius, the Persian, a record was also kept of the Levites and priests who had been heads of their fathers’ houses in the days of Eliashib, Joiada, Johanan, and Jaddua. Since we know that Jeshua was a contemporary of Zerubbabel, it is likely that they were close in age. Now, it is entirely possible they were in their twenties or thirties when they laid the foundation of the Temple in the time of Darius I. This would mean that Eliashib, the grandson of Jeshua wouldn’t be a high priest for at least 50 years. By the time Nehemiah is on the scene, it is known from history that Eliashib’s grandson Johanan was the high priest at the end of Darius II reign and into the reign of Artaxerxes II. This passage in Nehemiah also tells us that a record of the Levites was kept by Darius in the days of Eliashib and his children. This could not be Darius I, because Eliashib would have either been a child at the time or not even born. The only Darius these fits is Darius II who reigned just before Artaxerxes II. Nehemiah tells us that Eliashib is still head of the priests at the time he arrives in the days of Artaxerxes, though it is entirely possible he is advanced in age and is merely mentioned as the head of the family, and that it is his grandson Johanan who is functioning as high priest.

The story of Esther probably took place in the time of Artaxerxes II, and this was likely the king that issued the decree to Ezra and allowed Nehemiah to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. 

• Nehemiah 2:1-2 – And it came to pass in the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was before him, that I took the wine and gave it to the king. The setting of Nehemiah is in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes. This Artaxerxes could very well be the biblical Ahasuerus.
• Nehemiah 2:6 – Then the king said to me (the queen also sitting beside him), “How long will your journey be? And when will you return?” So, it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time. Who is this queen, and why the mention, unless pertinent to the story? If it is Queen Esther, then it goes a long way toward determining why Artaxerxes was so willing to help the Jewish people.
• Nehemiah 5:14-16 – Moreover, from the time that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year until the thirty-second year of King Artaxerxes, twelve years, neither I nor my brothers ate the governor’s provisions. But the former governors who were before me laid burdens on the people, and took from them bread and wine, besides forty shekels of silver. Yes, even their servants bore rule over the people, but I did not do so, because of the fear of God. Artaxerxes II reigned for thirty-six years, so this timeframe fits perfectly.
• Nehemiah 7:7 – Those who came with Zerubbabel were Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, and Baanah. The number of the men of the people of Israel… This passage has caused trouble for people because they think it places Nehemiah and Mordecai as contemporaries with Zerubbabel. However, these are just two individuals of the same name that went with Zerubbabel because neither Mordecai, nor Nehemiah were contemporaries with Zerubbabel, and neither went to Jerusalem with him, as both the book of Nehemiah and Esther clearly show.
• Nehemiah 8:1 – Now all the people gathered together as one man in the open square that was in front of the Water Gate; and they told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded Israel. Ezra was a contemporary with Nehemiah, though he had arrived more than a decade earlier to Jerusalem.
• Esther 1:1 – Now it came to pass in the days of Ahasuerus (this was the Ahasuerus who reigned over one hundred and twenty-seven provinces, from India to Ethiopia) … There are some who argue that this is Xerxes I, and even Darius I, but Artaxerxes II fits far better than all of them, and he exercised immense influence in Grecian affairs in his lifetime.
• Esther 10:1-3 – And King Ahasuerus imposed tribute on the land and on the islands of the sea. Now all the acts of his power and his might, and the account of the greatness of Mordecai, to which the king advanced him, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Media and Persia? For Mordecai the Jew was second to King Ahasuerus and was great among the Jews and well received by the multitude of his brethren, seeking the good of his people and speaking peace to all his countrymen. The influence that Jews had in the court of this Ahasuerus fits perfectly with Artaxerxes II life, especially if it is he who had raised a Jewess to the position of Queen. The Greeks even mocked the problems that he was said to have with his harem. Does that not fit with the story, as told in the book of Esther?

With everything in consideration then, it is likely that the timeline of events, as closely approximated to given historical chronology as possible, looks like this. Remember, the 70 weeks has to do with Israel and the holy city. 

70 Years for Babylon starts – 609 BC or 586 BC

70 Years Ends – 539 BC or 516 BC

70 weeks for Israel and Jerusalem starts – 538 BC In the first year of Cyrus. 

The first 7 weeks end – 490 BC This is near the end of Darius’ I reign. It might be the year when Zerubbabel died, and no one took up the mantle of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. Hence, the prophetic clock stopped.

Start of the 62 weeks – Based on my date of the crucifixion of Jesus in AD 33, this means that the prophetic time clock begins again in 402 BC. This is the second year of Artaxerxes II on the historical chronology. It could be that this is the year of his decree to Ezra, who then went to fulfill it and carry it out. We don’t know when the decree was given, only that Ezra arrived at Jerusalem in the seventh year of his reign. This means we have around a four-to-five-year gap of time from the decree date and when Ezra leaves for Jerusalem that can be explained by saying Ezra stayed that amount of time in Babylon, preparing to leave, or it’s off because the historical dates are not exactly on, or because there is some other thing that started the prophetic clock again, which is even more possible than the previous suggestion. However, it wasn’t until Nehemiah that the walls of Jerusalem were built. If this is the layout, and it is the thing that fits all the biblical and historical data, then we see that the Bible is once again proven true in all its details.

Final week begins – AD 2026. Ends AD 2033. This begins when the Antichrist makes his deal with the many concerning Israel and Jerusalem.