THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS CHRONOLOGICAL INFORMATION REGARDING ARTAXERXES I BASED ON PERSIAN CUNEIFORM TABLETS THAT IS NOT FOUND ANYWHERE ELSE, EXCEPT IN MY BOOK REFERENCED IN NOTE 8
For the past 100 years, the Bible Students and Jehovah’s Witnesses have believed that in 1914 CE, the appointed times of the nations ended, the kingdom of God was established in the heavens, the presence of Jesus began, and the time of the end began. Today, 112 years have passed since 1914, and this old system of things is still standing. Is it time to abandon the belief in 1914 as a prophetic year? My answer is an emphatic no! In what follows, I will show the biblical reason for the importance of the year 1914.
The Bible contains two distinct types of material that require different approaches for treatment. First, we have the basic doctrines of the Christian faith. In order to understand these, we must find every place where a particular doctrine is mentioned, study these, and then draw our conclusion. Second, we have the kind of material where only half of what we need is found in the Bible — prophecies about the future and time periods — and we have to find the other parts ourselves — the fulfillment of the prophecies and time periods.
It is obvious that the second part is more problematic than the first one. In connection with the basic doctrines, we can refer to concrete texts, which allow us to clearly establish each doctrine. In connection with prophecies and time periods, we ourselves must determine their fulfillment, and we may err.
The important point here is expressed in Daniel 12:8-10 (above) and Matthew 24:32, 33 (below):
8 Now as for me, I heard, but I could not understand; so that I said: “O my lord, what will be the final part of these things?” 9 And he went on to say: “Go, Daniel, because the words are made secret and sealed up until the time of [the] end. 10 Many will cleanse themselves and whiten themselves and will be refined. And the wicked ones will certainly act wickedly, and no wicked ones at all will understand; but the ones having insight will understand.
32 “Now learn from the fig tree as an illustration this point: Just as soon as its young branch grows tender and it puts forth leaves, YOU know that summer is near. 33 Likewise also YOU, when YOU see all these things, know that he is near at the doors.
Truly I say to YOU that this generation 34 will by no means pass away until all these things occur… 36 “Concerning that day and hour nobody knows, neither the angels of the heavens nor the Son, but only the Father.
Daniel asked about the prophecies that the angel had given him, which are written in Daniel chapters 11 and 12. The angel said that these prophecies would be sealed until the time of the end, and at that time “the ones having insight will understand.”
As an answer to the disciples’ question about when his presence (parousia) and the conclusion of the system of things (the time of the end) would be, Jesus described various events in the world that, together, would be a sign.
The quoted words show that when his followers saw this sign, they should know that he had returned and was present.
He explicitly said that they should know the generation of his presence, but not the day and hour for his final judgment.
The words of the angel and of Jesus show that the followers of Jesus who live in the time of the end should understand the prophetic material, which is only half-written in the Bible. And most important in connection with this study is that Jesus said that his followers should understand the basic subject of this study, “the appointed times of the nations.” (Luke 21:24)
To find the fulfillment of the prophetic material, we need to identify the keys we must use.
THE KEYS FOR UNDERSTANDING PROPHETIC TIMES
To understand the Bible, we need particular keys. The basic key can be construed on the basis of the words of Jesus and Paul in John 10:35 (above) and Luke 24:44 (middle) 2 Timothy 3:16, 17 (below):
35 If he called ‘gods’ those against whom the word of God came, and yet the Scripture cannot be nullified.
44 He now said to them: “These are my words which I spoke to YOU while I was yet with YOU, that all the things written in the law of Moses and in the Prophets and Psalms about me must be fulfilled.”
16 All Scripture is inspired of God and beneficial for teaching, for reproving, for setting things straight, for disciplining in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be fully competent, completely equipped for every good work.
Jesus refers to the scriptures that cannot be nullified. These “scriptures” consisted of the law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms. This is still the division of the 39 Hebrew Scriptures that is known as the Old Testament. These were inspired by God and could not be nullified
The first words of 2 Timothy 3:16, “all scripture,” do not have any reference, and therefore, they have no meaning. In no way could they refer to the Christian Greek Scriptures (the New Testament) because only a few books of the Christian Greek Scriptures existed when Paul wrote his letter.
One alternative translation of the first part of 2 Timothy 3:16, which I prefer, is: “Every scripture that is inspired of God is beneficial for teaching…”[1] In the ancient Christian congregations, there were catalogs of which scriptures were a part of the Christian canon, which include the 29 books of the New Testament. Now the words of Paul have meaning: All scriptures that are inspired by God are beneficial for teaching…. The scriptures that are inspired by God (the canon) are the 29 books of the Christian Greek Scriptures. Thus, the 66 books of the Bible are inspired by God, and they cannot be nullified.
KEY 1: Understanding that every account in the Bible is included with a particular purpose and has a particular meaning.
Prophetic time is an important part of the text of the Bible, as we see in Acts 1:6,7 (above) and Mark 1:14, 15 (below):
6 When, now, they had assembled, they went asking him: “Lord, are you restoring the kingdom to Israel at this time?” 7 He said to them: “It does not belong to YOU to get knowledge of the times (khronos) or seasons (kairos) which the Father has placed in his own jurisdiction.
14 Now after John was put under arrest Jesus went into Galʹi·lee, preaching the good news of God 15 and saying: “The appointed time (kairos) has been fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has drawn near. Be repentant, YOUpeople, and have faith in the good news.”
We note that the disciples connected the return of Jesus with the restoration of God’s kingdom for Israel
The basic meaning of the Greek word khronos is “unspecified time,” and kairos means “a specified time” or “an appointed time.” Jesus told his disciples that God’s purpose includes unspecified times (khronos) and specified times (kairos). But at that moment when Jesus was about to ascend to heaven, God had not revealed these times and specified times (“seasons”) to the disciples.
The words of Jesus, as recorded in Mark 1:15, are particularly important. Jesus had now started his great preaching work about the kingdom of God, because “the appointed time (kairos) had been fulfilled.” I will later return to the meaning of Jesus’ words. However, so far, they indicate that there were prophetic times or periods that could be calculated, pointing to the coming of Jesus.
KEY 2: Understanding that the Scriptures contain prophetic times that can be calculated.
The book of Daniel mentions several specified prophetic times, and in Daniel 12:6-12, there are four keys that we need to know to understand the importance of the year 1914:
6 Then one said to the man clothed with the linen, who was up above the waters of the stream: “How long will it be to the end of the wonderful things?” 7 And I began to hear the man clothed with the linen, who was up above the waters of the stream, as he proceeded to raise his right [hand] and his left [hand] to the heavens and to swear by the One who is alive for time indefinite: “It will be for an appointed time, appointed times and a half. And as soon as there will have been a finishing of the dashing of the power of the holy people to pieces, all these things will come to their finish.”
8 Now as for me, I heard, but I could not understand; so that I said: “O my lord, what will be the final part of these things?”
9 And he went on to say: “Go, Daniel, because the words are made secret and sealed up until the time of [the] end (‘et qets). 10 Many will cleanse themselves and whiten themselves and will be refined. And the wicked ones will certainly act wickedly, and no wicked ones at all will understand; but the ones having insight will understand.
11 “And from the time that the constant [feature] has been removed and there has been a placing of the disgusting thing that is causing desolation, there will be one thousand two hundred and ninety days.
12 “Happy is the one who is keeping in expectation and who arrives at the one thousand three hundred and thirty-five days!
Verse 6 speaks of “the holy people.” This must be a distinct people that is separated from other peoples, because the prophecy says that 3 1/2 times will elapse over it, and its power will be dashed to pieces. This can only happen to a united and distinct people and not to people in general.
KEY 3: Understanding that in the time of the end, God has a people who is clearly identified and separated from other people.
Because many prophecies are fulfilled in this people, we need to identify this people.
KEY 4: Understanding that there is a time period called “the time of the end,” and that this period can be identified.
Verse 11 speaks of an entity called “the disgusting thing that causes desolation,” which will appear in the time of the end. We need to identify this entity and the time of the end because it plays a role in calculating the time prophecies.
Key 5: Understanding that “the abomination that causes desolation” will appear in the time of the end, and that it can be identified.
Verses 6, 11, 12 speak about particular time periods, 3 1/2 times, 1,290 days, and 1,335 days that will be fulfilled on the holy people and in connection with “the abomination that causes desolation.”
KEY 6: Understanding that there are specified time periods that will be fulfilled on the people of God, which can be calculated.
These keys do not say anything that directly bears on the year 1914. However, they demonstrate that the Holy Scriptures encompass specific time periods, which can be calculated once we have identified “the holy people”.
The first key to use is the one about “the time of the end.” How can this period be fixed in relation to the stream of time from the prophet Daniel and to our time? The symbols written in the book of Revelation will also be understood in the time of the end. The key to understanding when “the time of the end” is, is found in Revelation chapter 17. Verse 3 speaks about a wild beast with seven heads and ten horns. The heads are identified in verses 8-11
8 The wild beast that you saw was, but is not, and yet is about to ascend out of the abyss, and it is to go off into destruction. And when they see how the wild beast was, but is not, and yet will be present, those who dwell on the earth will wonder admiringly, but their names have not been written upon the scroll of life from the founding of the world.
9 “Here is where the intelligence that has wisdom comes in: The seven heads mean seven mountains, where the woman sits on top. 10 And there are seven kings: five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet arrived, but when he does arrive he must remain a short while. 11 And the wild beast that was but is not, it is also itself an eighth [king], but springs from the seven, and it goes off into destruction.
The “kings” have characteristics of the beasts that are mentioned in the book of Daniel, chapter 7. These beasts represent world powers, and, therefore, the “kings” must also represent world powers. John says that five have fallen in his time. Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, and Greece had fallen. One “king” or world power existed: the Roman Empire. The seventh world power, which can be identified as Anglo-America (Britain and the USA together), would be the last “king.”
The wild beast itself was an eighth world power that would spring from the other seven and exist contemporaneously with the seventh. It would exist, then be in the abyss, and not exist. Then it would come up from the abyss and exist again. The beast can be identified as the League of Nations, which was in the abyss during World War II, but came to life as the United Nations after the war.
KEY 7: Understanding that the time of the end is connected with the time when the seventh and eighth world powers exist, and this relates to the 20th and 21st centuries.
Verse 11 in Daniel chapter 12 connects the disgusting thing that causes desolation with the time of the end and one of the prophetic times. In the first fulfillment, the disgusting thing was a political entity, namely, the Roman armies that surrounded Jerusalem. We see this when comparing Matthew 24:15-16 with Luke 21:20-21. These armies were disgusting because they stood on the holy ground of the temple. The disgusting thing caused the desolation of a religious entity, the city of Jerusalem, and its inhabitants when the city was destroyed in 70 CE.
Jesus demonstrated that there was a second fulfillment of the prophecy regarding the disgusting thing that would cause desolation in the time of the end. We read Matthew 24:3, 14-22:
3 While he was sitting upon the Mount of Olives, the disciples approached him privately, saying: “Tell us, When will these things be, and what will be the sign of your presence and of the conclusion of the system of things (synteleias tou aiōnos)?”
14 And this good news of the kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited earth for a witness to all the nations; and then the end (telos) will come.
15 “Therefore, when YOU catch sight of the disgusting thing that causes desolation, as spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in a holy place, (let the reader use discernment,) 16 then let those in Ju·deʹa begin fleeing to the mountains.
17 Let the man on the housetop not come down to take the goods out of his house; 18 and let the man in the field not return to the house to pick up his outer garment. 19 Woe to the pregnant women and those suckling a baby in those days! 20 Keep praying that YOUR flight may not occur in wintertime, nor on the sabbath day; 21 for then there will be great tribulation such as has not occurred since the world’s beginning until now, no, nor will occur again.
The Greek expression syntelieas tou aiōnos (“the conclusion of the system of things”) in Matthew 24:3 can be shown to have the same meaning as the Hebrew expression ‘et qets (“time of the end”) in Daniel 12:9.[2] Thus, the setting of the words of Jesus in Matthew chapter 24 is the time of the end when the prophetic word should be understood.
This shows that while the word of Jesus got a miniature fulfillment in the first century CE, until the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 CE, the main fulfillment would be in the time of the end. The preaching of the good news to all the nations did not happen in the first century. But it has happened today, and the word “end” (telos) in 24:14 refers to the end-point of the time of the end. This “end” corresponds with the great tribulation mentioned in 24:21, which will be greater than any other tribulation, including the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 CE. Thus, the disgusting thing that causes desolation would exist in the time of the end.
As mentioned above, in the first century, the disgusting thing was a political entity (the Roman armies) that would cause desolation for a religious entity (the city of Jerusalem). In Revelation chapter 17, which I have already quoted from, the political entity (the wild beast with seven heads and ten horns = the United Nations) that will cause desolation of the religious entity (the harlot, Babylon the great). There are several threads that connect this wild beast with the disgusting thing that causes desolation.[3]
KEY 8: Understanding that the abomination that causes desolation, which is the League of Nations and the United Nations, would exist in the time of the end, in the 20th and 21st centuries.
Table 1.1 To understand the importance of the year 1914 CE. one has to understand the following keys:
| KEY 1 | Understanding that every account in the Bible is included with a particular purpose and has a particular meaning. |
| KEY 2 | Understanding that the Scriptures contain prophetic times that can be calculated. |
| KEY 3 | Understanding that in the time of the end, God has a people who is clearly identified and separated from other people. |
| KEY 4 | Understanding that there is a time period called “the time of the end,” and that this period can be identified. |
| KEY 5 | Understanding that the abomination that causes desolation” will appear in the time of the end, and that it can be identified. |
| KEY 6 | Understanding that there are specified time periods that will be fulfilled on the people of God, which can be calculated. |
| KEY 7 | Understanding that the time of the end is connected with the time when the seventh and eighth world powers exist, and this relates to the 20th and 21st centuries. |
| KEY 8 | Understanding that the abomination that causes desolation, which is the League of Nations and the United Nations, would exist in the time of the end, in the 20th and 21st centuries. |
The keys discussed point to the 20th and 21st centuries as the time for the fulfillment of important prophecies. Because all the accounts in the Bible are included with a particular purpose and meaning, including the prophetic times, we need to take a closer look at the prophetic periods that are mentioned.
[1]. A detailed analysis of 2 Timothy 3:16 showing in detail why “Every scripture that is inspired of God is beneficial for teaching…” is the best translation is found in the article, “The members of the Governing Body do not believe in the full inspiration of the Bible.” (Part I)
(https://mybelovedreligion.no/2026/04/24/the-members-of-the-governing-body-do-not-believe-in-the-full-inspiration-of-the-bible-part-i/)
[2]. See my book, When Was the Book of Daniel Written? A Philological, Linguistic, and Historical Approach, chapter 8. And the article. “The sign 3: The setting and time line of the great prophecy of Jesus.” (https://mybelovedreligion.no/2024/08/30/the-sign-the-setting-and-time-line-of-the-great-prophecy-of-jesus/).
[3]. See my article “The sign 4: The abomination that causes desolation.” Matthew 24:15 https://mybelovedreligion.no/2024/09/01/the-sign-4-the-abomination-that-causes-desolation/
THE PROPHETIC TIMES LEADING TO THE FIRST COMING OF JESUS CHRIST
I have already quoted the words of Markus 1:15. When Jesus started his preaching work, he said “The appointed time (kairos) has been fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has drawn near.” The appointed times (kairos) leading to the coming of Jesus Christ are found in Daniel 9:24, 25:
24 There are seventy weeks that have been determined upon your people and upon your holy city, in order to terminate the transgression, and to finish off sin, and to make atonement for error, and to bring in righteousness for times indefinite, and to imprint a seal upon vision and prophet, and to anoint the Holy of Holies.
25 And you should know and have the insight [that] from the going forth of [the] word to restore and to rebuild Jerusalem until Mes·siʹah [the] Leader, there will be seven weeks, also sixty-two weeks. She will return and be actually rebuilt, with a public square (rehob) and moat (haruts), but in the straits of the times.
26 “And after the sixty-two weeks Mes·siʹah will be cut off, with nothing for himself. “And the city and the holy place the people of a leader that is coming will bring to their ruin. And the end of it will be by the flood. And until [the] end there will be war; what is decided upon is desolations.
27 “And he must keep [the] covenant in force for the many for one week; and at the half of the week he will cause sacrifice and gift offering to cease. “And upon the wing of disgusting things there will be the one causing desolation; and until an extermination, the very thing decided upon will go pouring out also upon the one lying desolate.”
Who is this Anointed One (the Messiah), the Leader, who is mentioned in verse 25? I will first analyze the words. The word mashiah is an adjective with the meaning “anointed,” and nāgid is a substantive meaning “leader; ruler.” It is clear that the adjective does not modify the substantive, thus giving it the meaning “the Anointed Leader,” because the adjective occurs before the substantive and not after it. Thus, nāgid mashiah represents an appositional phrase, “Messiah, the Leader.”
Corroborating this is the fact that in verse 26, mashiah occurs alone. The word mashiah occurs 38 times in the Hebrew Scriptures. In 11 instances, mashiah is followed by Jehovah, so the meaning is “Jehovah’s anointed.” In 4 instances, mashiah is preceded by kōhēn (“priest”), so the meaning is “the anointed priest.” In 23 instances mashiah is modified by “my,” “his,” or “your,” with the pronouns referring to God.
Only in Daniel 9:25, 26 is the word mashiah standing alone without any determination. The word nagid occurs 43 times and, in most cases, it refers to the ruler over God’s people. The word can also refer to a person who is a leader of a lower rank, for example, the temple’s chief. According to 1Samuel 10:1, Jehovah’s anointed (māshah, the verb corresponding to the substantive mashiah) Saul, was to become ruler (nāgid) over his people. In the versions, we find the following renderings of nāgid mashiah:
Theodotion: kristou = Christ.
The Latin Vulgate: Christum ducem = Christ, leader.
The Ethiopic translation: Krestos negus = Christ (as a proper name), king.
The Syriac Peshitta: meshihā malkā= the anointed, king.
Regarding the identity of the Anointed One, the Leader, we should keep in mind that although the word mashiah can be applied to any person who is anointed to an office, and thus it can refer both to priests and kings, there is just one person in the Hebrew Scriptures, apart from Melchizedek, who is both priest and king (Psalm 110:1, 4; Zechariah 6:13), and that is the coming Messiah. Corroborating this is the fact that mashiah in Daniel 9:25, 26 is unqualified and therefore does not refer to one who is anointed, but to the Anointed One.
The Messiah would arrive after the sixty-ninth “week,” according to Daniel 9:26. Most commentators agree that the “weeks” each represent seven years, which means that 69 weeks are 483 years.[1] What would mark the beginning of these years? Daniel 9:25 says that the starting point was “the issuing of the word to restore and build Jerusalem.” After this starting point the city would “be restored and built with streets (rehōb) and trenches (hārūts).” I will analyze these words.
The word rehōb comes from a root meaning “wide; broad.” It occurs 43 times in the Hebrew Bible, and it often refers to a broad plaza or an open area inside the city gate used as a marketplace. Alternatively, the word could be used with a collective meaning, referring to the city’s streets.
For example, Esther 4:6 says that the servant of Esther went to Mordecai in the square (rehōb) of the city. But according to 6:9, Mordecai was led on horseback through the city’s streets (rehōb). The context in Daniel 9 suggests that the single rehōb refers to the city’s streets. There were many plazas or squares in Jerusalem before the city was destroyed, and the city would not be restored by building a single square. Therefore, because “rehob” is used in connection with the verbs “restore” and “build,” it is evidently used in a collective sense, indicating the restoration of either the squares or the streets of the city.
The verb hārats means “to cut,” and the substantive hārūts literally means “the cut” (“what is cut”). Because hārrūts occurs only once in the Hebrew Bible, its reference is not clear. In the Aramaic Zakkur inscription (800–775 BCE), a deep trench (hārūts) is connected with the building of a wall. Such a trench was cut into the rock outside the city wall to increase its height. Regarding Jerusalem, Montgomery says: “The great cutting in the natural rock along the northern wall of Jerusalem is a marked feature of the city’s defenses.”[2]
For the Hebrew word hārūts, the Theodotion translation of Daniel uses the word teikhos, which refers to a wall, particularly the city wall. The Latin Vulgate uses murus, which also means “wall.” Because of these renderings, and because hārūts is connected with a wall in Aramaic, I take the word hārūts as a collective, referring to the trenches that were cut in the rock outside the walls to make them higher. So, the prophecy speaks of a complete restoration of the streets and plazas within the city, and of the city walls and their outer trenches. When these were restored, the city would be more difficult to conquer.
I will return to the beginning of the period of 70 weeks and ask: When did the word “to restore and build Jerusalem” go forth? Could it be the decree of Cyrus in 538/37 BCE? This decree said that a temple for the God of the heavens should be built, but it does not mention the city of Jerusalem. According to Ezra 7:8, 9, Ezra went up to Jerusalem in the 7th year of Artaxerxes, and this year has also been suggested as the starting point. However, the word from Artaxerxes I related to the beautifying of the house of Jehova, as seen in Ezra 7:27, and not to the restoring and building of Jerusalem and its walls.
The real starting point must be related to Nehemiah. Hanani told Nehemiah that the walls of Jerusalem were broken down and its gates were burned with fire. According to Nehemiah 2:5, Nehemiah asked King Artaxerxes I if he could go to Jerusalem and build the city. The verb used is bānā, and many translations use the word “rebuild” to translate this verb. But the meaning of the verb is “to build.”
This is the same verb that is found in Daniel 9:25. Nehemiah 2:8 shows that Nehemiah asked for timber to build the gates of the castle belonging to the temple, for the walls of the city, and for the house where Nehemiah would stay. There was also a need for work to build the city as a whole, because in 2:17, Nehemiah says that “Jerusalem is devastated.”
Thus, the work of Nehemiah fulfills the words of Daniel 9. The journey from Shushan to Jerusalem would take about four months, and Nehemiah’s words to start the building work could have been spoken at the beginning of the 5th Jewish month. This must be the time when the 70 weeks began.[3]
Which year corresponds to the 20th year of Artaxerxes I? According to the traditional chronology, this is the year 445/444. However, dated cuneiform tablets from the reigns of Darius I, Xerxes, and Artaxerxes I, and various Greek and Egyptian sources indicate that Artaxerxes I started his reign ten years earlier, in 475/474 and not in 465/464. This means that the 20th year of Artaxerxes I is 455/454 BCE. The evidence is as follows: There are 3 cuneiform tablets with celestial positions that are connected with the reign of Artaxerxes I.[4]
The tablet BM 33478 was dated in year 24 of Artaxerxes I by Sachs and Hunger, but they admit that the celestial positions do not fit that year. A study of the celestial positions in all the regnal years of Artaxerxes I, Artaxerxes II, and Artaxerxes III reveals a perfect fit of the positions on BM 33478 only in 465/464.
According to the traditional chronology, this is year 21 of Xerxes and the accession year of Artaxerxes I. The cuneiform tablet BM 33478 states that, in the year when the celestial positions were observed, an intercalary Addaru (an extra month 13) was added. However, the accession year of Artaxerxes I did not have an intercalary Addaru. Therefore, this tablet suggests that the traditional chronology is wrong, and 465/464 was not the accession year of Artaxerxes I.
However, the 10th year of ArtaxerxesI had an intercalary Addaru, and this may suggest that 465/464 was the 10th year, and not the 1st year of the reign of Artaxerxes I. The cuneiform tablet BM 32235 mentions the year in which Xerxes died, which was his 21st year. Two lunar eclipses are also mentioned on the tablet, one whose position in relation to the constellation Sagittarius is described, and the other is said to have occurred in month VIII, and its magnitude is described. There were two lunar eclipses in the years 465/464 and 475/474, respectively, and it is interesting that the eclipses of 475/474 fit the description on the tablet perfectly, whereas those of 465/464 fit only approximately. This suggests that 475/474 was the accession year of Artaxerxes I, and that his twentieth year was 455/454.[5]
Based on the 20th year of ArtaxerxesI being the year 455/454, the first seven weeks (49 years) it took to build the city ended in 406/405, and the 62 weeks, at the end of which the Messiah would appear, ended in the year 29/30 CE. This fits exactly the time when Jesus Christ started his work.
| Most lexicons and textbooks point to 445/444 BCE as the year 20 of Artaxerxes. This is a tradition that has simply been repeated over and over again from scholar to scholar. I have studied all the astronomical cuneiform tablets with their celestial positions from the reigns of Xerxes, Artaxerxes I, Artaxerxes II, and Artaxerxes III.
My conclusion, as my short presentation above illustrates, is that Artaxerxes I began his reign ten years earlier than the textbooks indicate and that his year 20 corresponds to 455/454. A detailed study of this material is presented in my book, as noted in note 8. The parameters for the celestial positions of the cuneiform tablets I mentioned are in this book, and the positions can be checked using an Astro-program. No scholar has published a study comparing all the mentioned cuneiform tablets, the historical Persepolis tablets, and relevant Egyptian material as a basis for calculating the regnal years of Artaxerxes I. Thus, the information I have provided cannot be found anywhere else. |
The mothers of John the Baptist and Jesus were relatives, and according to Luke 1:36, John was six months older than Jesus. This has a bearing on the time when Jesus began his public ministry, as Luke 3:1-2 dates the start of John the Baptist’s work to the 15th year of Emperor Tiberius. Tiberius had a joint rule of the provinces with Augustus, probably from October 12 CE. Augustus died on 19 August 14 CE (Julian calendar),[6] and on 17 September 14 CE (Julian calendar),[7] the senate named Tiberius emperor; thus, the 15th year of Tiberius can be counted from three different dates.
Because Luke 3:1 uses the words “Emperor Tiberius,” and the title “Emperor” was first applied to Tiberius after the death of Augustus, we can exclude October 12 CE as the date to count from, so we are left with 19 August or 17 September of the year 14 CE. John the Baptist began his mission in the 15th year of Tiberius Caesar, which corresponds to a period between August 28, 28 CE, and August 29, 29 CE. Because John the Baptist was six months older than Jesus, and on the assumption that both Jesus and John started their service when they were 30 years old, Jesus started his public service between February/March 29 CE and February/March 30 CE.[8] This is 483 years after the 20th year of Artaxerxes I.
Table 1.2 lists the rulers mentioned in the 15th year of Tiberius (Luke 3:1), and their regnal years show that the prophecy in Daniel 9:24–27 was fulfilled in the year 29/30 CE. A person who is able to write in detail and correctly about the future must have been directed by God, and he must be an honest person. When such a person dates the different visions of his book, we must accept these dates as correct.
Table 1.2 The fifteenth year of Emperor Tiberius
| 15th year of Tiberius Caesar | Aug./Sept. 28 CE to Aug./Sept. 29 CE |
| Pontius Pilate, governor in Judea | 26–36 CE[9] |
| Herod Antipas, governor in Perea and Galilee | 4 BCE–39 CE[10] |
| Philip, governor in Iturea and Trachonitis | 4 BCE–34 CE[11] |
| Lysanias, governor of Abilene | Unknown[12] |
| Annas, high priest | 6–15 CE |
| Caiaphas, high priest | 18–36 CE[13] |
Could ordinary people in the days of Jesus understand the prophecy about the 70 weeks? The obvious answer is Yes. The basic principle for understanding the time prophecies in the Bible is that every account in the Scriptures is included with a specific purpose and meaning.
There are many prophecies about the coming Messiah in the Hebrew Scriptures. And the prophecy in Daniel 9:25-27 is written so that those who studied the Scriptures could calculate the time when the Messiah would arrive. If the people could not understand and calculate it, this prophecy was included in the Scripture for no purpose.
Supporting that the prophecy could be understood are the words of Luke 3:15; we read:
15 Now as the people were in expectation and all were reasoning in their hearts about John: “May he perhaps be the Christ?” 16 John gave the answer, saying to all: “I, for my part, baptize YOU with water; but the one stronger than I am is coming, the lace of whose sandals I am not fit to untie. He will baptize YOU people with holy spirit and fire.
John the Baptist began baptizing six months before Jesus began preaching the good news of the kingdom. At this time, the people were in expectation of the coming of the Messiah. It is very likely that the reason for this was the prophecy in Daniel chapter 9.[14]
CONCLUSION
The focus of this article and the two following ones is the importance of 1914 CE, the year when Jesus returned as king and when the time of the end began. The purpose of this detailed discussion of the 70 weeks is to show that the coming of Jesus to the earth was connected with a time prophecy by which the time of Jesus’ arrival could be calculated.
Based on the time prophecy of Jesus’ first coming, it would not be presumptuous to expect that there would also be a time prophecy of Jesus’ second coming. I will show in detail in Part II of this study that Jesus’ second coming has three aspects. Jesus is invisibly present, the time of the end (the conclusion of the system of things) has begun, and the kingdom of God has been established.
There is a prophecy in Luke 21:24 that suggests the nations will have exclusive dominion without God having a kingdom. The prophecy then reveals that God would establish his kingdom after seven appointed times. Since God’s kingdom is established when Jesus’ second coming begins, this prophecy of the establishment of God’s kingdom (heavenly Jerusalem) after seven appointed times will provide us with a basis for calculating the time for Jesus’ second coming and his presence.
The prophecy of the 70 weeks provides a pattern for calculating the seven appointed times of the nations, according to the principle that one day represents one year. It is therefore essential that we study the prophecy of the 70 weeks, providing a solid basis for calculating the time of Jesus’ second coming.
[1]. J. Wood, The Book of Daniel, 252. Koehler and Baumgartner, The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament, 1385, has the definition “a week of years,” and the lexicon refers to The Community Rule, earlier called The Manual of Discipline, 10:7, 8, which speaks of “seasons, years, weeks of years.” This was the document dealing with the organization of the Qumran community.
[2]. J. A. Montgomery, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Book of Daniel, 380.
[3]. Jerome used Nehemiah’s 20th year as the starting point; G. L. Archer Jr., Jerome’s Commentary on Daniel, 97.
[4]. Sachs and Hunger, Astronomical Diaries and Related Texts from Babylonia, 1:56–60.
[5]. The evidence in favor of a coregency between Xerxes and Darius I is discussed in Furuli, Assyrian, Babylonian, Egyptian, and Persian Chronology, Persian Chronology and the Length of the Babylonian exile of the Jews, Second edition, pages 192–238; the evidence for the beginning and end of the reign of Artaxerxes I in 475/74 is discussed on pages 239–295.
[6]. Augustus died on 17 August 14 CE, Gregorian calendar.
[7]. Tiberius named emperor on 15 September 14 CE, Gregorian calendar.
[8]. Luke 3:23 says: “And Jesus himself was about thirty years when he began [his service].” The meanings of the particle hōsei are “like, as, about.” Most Bible translations use “about” in this verse. Does Luke imply that Jesus could have been 29 or 31 years, as well as 30 years? No, because Luke uses hōsei in a more specific way, as the following examples show: Acts 13:18 says that Israel was “about forty years in the desert.” In this text, Luke uses the particle hōs, which is a synonym to hōsei and has the meaning “about” as well. So, the word “about” does not mean that the time could be 39 or 41 years (Numbers 14:34; Deuteronomy 2:7). It means “40 years,” but not necessarily exactly 40 years to the very day. Luke 23:44 says that darkness came over the earth when Jesus was fastened to the pole “about (hōsei) the sixth hour.” This does not mean that the darkness came at the fifth or the seventh hour, but rather not exactly at the sixth hour. This is what Matthew 27:41 and Mark 15:33 say. From Luke’s use of the word “about,” we must conclude that Jesus was 30 years old when he began his service, but not necessarily on the very day he turned 30. John was of the tribe of Levi, and Levites began their service at 30 years old. (Numbers 4:46, 47)
[9]. J. A. Fitzmyer, The Gospel According to Luke I–IX, 456.
[10]. Ibid., 457; W. E. Filmer, The Chronology of the Reign of Herod the Great, 283–298.
[11]. J. A. Fitzmyer, The Gospel According to Luke I–IX, 457.
[12]. Lysanias, son of Ptolemaus, “king” of Chacus and Coele-Syria, was killed by Mark Antony in 36 BCE. This is not the Lysanias that Luke refers to. Josephus refers to another Lysanias, “Abila, which had been the Lysanian tetrarchy.” (Josephus 20.7.1 § 138). J. A. Fitzmyer, The Gospel According to Luke I–IX, 457.
[13]. Filmer, The Chronology of the Reign of Herod the Great, 298.
[14]. The prophecy of the 70 weeks is discussed in my book, My Beloved Religion — and the Governing Body, third edition, pages 67-70, where we find evidence that people in the days of Jesus could calculate the 70 weeks.
“Dette er en eksempeltekst til nettsiden. Når du skriver tekst til nettsiden så er det viktig å huske på at det både er en potensiell kunde som leser dette, men også Google skal «lese» denne teksten. Prøv å skriv innhold som er informativ for det produktet eller den tjenesten du tilbyr, der søkeord, fraser og setninger flettes inn på en naturlig og lettleselig måte. ”
OVERSKRIFT 3
Dette er en eksempeltekst til nettsiden. Når du skriver tekst til nettsiden så er det viktig å huske på at det både er en potensiell kunde som leser dette, men også Google skal «lese» denne teksten. Prøv å skriv innhold som er informativ for det produktet eller den tjenesten du tilbyr, der søkeord, fraser og setninger flettes inn på en naturlig og lettleselig måte.
CONCLUSION
Dette er en eksempeltekst til nettsiden. Når du skriver tekst til nettsiden så er det viktig å huske på at det både er en potensiell kunde som leser dette, men også Google skal «lese» denne teksten. Prøv å skriv innhold som er informativ for det produktet eller den tjenesten du tilbyr, der søkeord, fraser og setninger flettes inn på en naturlig og lettleselig måte.
