"THE SEVENTY WEEKS" BEGIN

Three noteworthy incidents deserve consideration with regard to the beginning of the "seventy weeks."  The first occurred in 537 B.C.E. when Cyrus issued his decree restoring the Jews to their homeland.  It reads:  "This is what Cyrus the king of Persia has said, 'All the kingdoms of the earth Jehovah the God of the heavens has given me, and he himself has commissioned me to build him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah.  Whoever there is among you of all his people, may his God prove to be with him.  So let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and rebuild the house of Jehovah the God of Israel-he is the true God-which was in Jerusalem.  As for anyone that is left from all  the places where he is residing as an alien, let the men of his place assist him with silver and with gold and with goods and with domestic animals along with the voluntary  offering for the house of the true God, which was in Jerusalem.' " (Ezra 1:2-4) Clearly, the express purpose  of this decree was to have the temple-"the house of Jehovah"-rebuilt on  its former site.

The second incident occurred in the seventh year of the reign of Persian King (Artaxerxes Longimanus,son of Xerxes I) At that time, Ezra the copyist made a four-month journey from Babylon to Jerusalem.  He carried a special letter from the king, but it did not authorize the rebuilding of Jerusalem.  Instead, Ezra's commission was limited to 'beautifying the house of Jehovah.'  That is why  the letter was referred to gold and silver, sacred vessels, and contributions of wheat, wine, oil, and salt for support of worship at the temple, as well as freedom from taxation for those serving there. -Ezra 7:6-27.

The third incident occurred 13 years later, in the 20th year of Persian King Artaxerxes, Nehemiah was then serving as his cupbearer in "Shushan the castle."  Jerusalem had been rebuilt to some extent by the remnant that had returned from Babylon. But all was not well. Nehemiah learned that 'the wall of Jerusalem was broken down and its very gates had been burned with fire.' This disturbed  him greatly, and gloom settled upon his heart.  Questioned about his sadness, Nehemiah replied: "Let the king himself live to time indefinite! Why should not my face become gloomy when the city, the house of the burial places of my forefathers, is devastated, and its very gates have been eaten up with fire?" -Nehemiah 1:1-3; 2:1-3. 

The account involving Nehemiah continues:  "In turn the king said to me:  'What is this that you are seeking to secure?' At once I prayed to the God of the heavens. After that I said to the king: 'If to the king it does seem good, and if your servant seems good before you, that you would send me to Judah, to the city of the burial places of my forefathers, that I may rebuild it.' " This proposal pleased Artaxerxes , who also acted on Nehemiah's further request: 'If to the king it does seem good, let the letters be given my  to the governors beyond the River  [Euphrates], that they may let me pass until I come to Judah; also a letter to Asaph the keeper of the park that belongs to the king,  that he may give me trees to build with timber the gates of the Castle that belongs to the house, and for the wall of the city and for the house into which I am to enter." Nehemiah acknowledged  Jehovah's role in all of this, saying: "So the king  gave [the letters] to me, according to the good hand of my God upon me." -Nehemiah 2:4-8.

Although permission was given in the month of Nisan, during the early part of the 20th year of Artaxerxes' reign, the actual "going forth of the word to restore and to rebuild Jerusalem" took effect months later.  This occurred when Nehemiah arrived in Jerusalem and began his work of restoration. Ezra's journey had taken four months, but Shushan was over 200 miles east of Babylon and thus even farther from Jerusalem.  Most likely, then, Nehemiah's arrival in Jerusalem occurred near the end of Artaxerxes' 20th year, or in 455 B.C.E. It is then that the foretold  "seventy weeks," or 490 years, began.  They would end in the later part of 36 C.E.

Next time: "MESSIAH THE LEADER" APPEARS

From the book: PAY ATTENTION TO DANIEL'S PROPHECY! 1999