Gooday and welcome to this little study.

We are now at part 6 in a series of videos on Daniel’s Prophecy

of the Seventy Weeks.

There are a number of articles related to this

subject over at the website,

EndTimePilgrim . org.

And also a few videos at the

YOUTube channel

GavinFinley

YOUTube channel

GavinFinley

In our previous video on “Edicts and Timelines” we established from the chronologies that it was

Nehemiah who received the command to restore and to build Jerusalem.

The 69 week 173,880 day timeline of 476 years and 25 days fits neatly between

the Edict given to Nehemiah •in the month of Nisan in 445 B.C. and the Palm Sunday appearance of

“Messiah the Prince” in the month Nisan in 32 A.D..

The Edict and Chronology of Daniel’s Seventy Weeks Prophecy

Candidate #3 The Edict of Nehemiah

Edict of Artaxerxes to Nehemiah445 B.C. (Month of Nisan)

Time span = 476 years + 25 days

32 A.D. Palm

Sunday

69 “Sevens” = 476 years + 25 days

The chronology based on the earlier edict of

Cyrus issued way back in 538 B.C. fell short by a whopping 93 years.

The Edict and Chronology of Daniel’s Seventy Weeks Prophecy

Candidate #1 The Edict of Cyrus

569 Years

32 A.D.

69 weeks = 476.07 Yrs.

62 B.C.

93 yrs.

Edict ofCyrus

538 B.C.

And the chronology based on the earlier edict of Artaxerxes in his 7th year given to Ezra in 458 B.C. fell short by 13 years.

The Edict and Chronology of Daniel’s Seventy Weeks Prophecy

Candidate #2 The Edict of EzraEdict of Artaxerxes to Ezra458 B.C. (- 457 A.D.)

489 Years

32 A.D.

69 weeks = 476.07 Years

19 A.D.

13 yrs.

In this video we shall be considering this question. In

which year did Nehemiah receive the edict to restore

and build Jerusalem? Was it 444 B.C.?

Or was it 445 B.C.?

What year saw theCommandor Edict to rebuild Jerusalem?444 B.C. or445 B.C.?

Here is a brief historical background. In 586 B.C. the Babylonian armies

entered Jerusalem, destroying the city and the Temple and taking

the bulk of Judah captive to Babylon.

The Babylonians were a supremely sophisticated civilization. They thought that they had it made. But their hubris

soon propelled them to the peak of their iniquity. Here at Belshazzar’s feast the wild party had gone on to defile the holy vessels of the God of Israel. When the king saw the writing on the wall he called for the prophet

Daniel. But the words spelled judgment and it was all over.

The armies of Cyrus had diverted the waters of the Euphrates River. And while

Belshazzar’s wild and unholy party was in full swing the city of Babylon had been

compromised. The Persian Army was entering the city from the river through the

breaches at the watergates.

The Persians under Cyrus conquered

Babylon in 538 B.C..

Cyrus then continued his campaign going north to conquer Assyria. It seems he left his uncle, Darius the Mede, in charge for a

couple of years. Darius was co-regent in Babylon for

Cyrus while he was away.

Upon arriving in Babylon Cyrus

declared a general amnesty for all captive people and the exiles of Judah were allowed

to return home.

Cyrus in Babylon declares a general amnesty allowing the

captives of Judah to returnback home to Jerusalem.

Here we see the first part of an answer to prayer that will be 2550+ years in the making.

The next significant royal edict in the restoration came 80 years later. The scrolls of the Torah were rediscovered. This led to a great Biblical revival. In 458 B.C, the scribe Ezra was given favor and funding by Artaxerxes in his 7th year to lead another company of exiles back to Jerusalem. This was a religious movement and not a political one. In the edict given to Ezra there was no mention of restoring the gates and walls to restore political sovereignty to the city of Jerusalem. This matter would be dealt with on a later occasion.

The edict given to Ezra here is no mention at all of rebuilding

the city of Jerusalem. Nor is there any mention of the gates and

walls. At the time of Ezra the city infrastructure was still in ruins and

would remain so for another 13 years on up to 445 B.C..

Nehemiah surveys the broken walls and gates of Jerusalem, 445 B.C.

In the month of Nisan Nehemiah the cupbearer took

the burden of the ruined state of the city of Jerusalem to the Medo-Persian king. It was

Artaxerxes in his 20th year who issued the edict to rebuild and

restore Jerusalem.

Daniel’s prophecy of 538 B.C. calls for a royal command or decree that will ensure the

restoration of the integrity and sovereignty of the city of

Jerusalem. This will necessitate the rebuilding of

its gates and walls. Here is the passage from Daniel 9:25.

“Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the

commandment to restore and to

build Jerusalem …”

The street

shall be built again, and the wall, even in

troublesome times.

Here are the words of Nehemiah from Nehemiah 2. They directly and specifically

answer to and address the Jerusalem restoration and the sovereignty issues involving

the street and walls as mentioned in Daniel’s

prophecy.

Nehemiah 25.. . . . .I ask that

you send me to Judah, to the city of my

fathers’ tombs, that I may rebuild it.”

Remember that in our search for the correct edict we

suspected that Nehemiah’s main issue, the repair of the gates and walls of

Jerusalem was going to be the key piece of information

and our main clue.

Nehemiah’s burden to rebuild the walls and gates of Jerusalem to restore the city of Jerusalem to

sovereign status as a self-governing city-state was what

made Nehemiah tremble and led to the highly significant royal

decree giving an authorization to “restore and build Jerusalem”.

Take a look at this wonderful Biblically correct image from Nehemiah chapter 2 by the

German artist Gustave Dore.It clearly shows us which edict it was that gave the go ahead

from the Medo-Persian superpower to “restore and

build” Jerusalem.

And why is this image and its scriptural message so

significant? Because the person surveying the broken walls and the burned gates of Jerusalem is none other than

Nehemiah himself!

Nehemiah surveys the broken walls and gates of Jerusalem, 445 B.C.

There was no civic restoration of the city of Jerusalem before

Nehemiah. And even the children in Sunday School know who

rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem. So why are our theologians failing to tag the edict of Nehemiah in 445 B.C. as the starting point for the

Seventy Weeks Prophecy?

Before Nehemiah Jerusalem was an encampment of exiles

in a rough Medo-Persian territory. Rude houses were clustered around a rebuilt

temple inside the broken shell of a former city. The walls and

gates were in ruins.

It was Nehemiah who undertook the restoration of the gates and walls of Jerusalem to restore it as a self-governing sovereign city-state. Only Nehemiah had

received authority from the Medo-Persian king to do this.

As we see in this picture it was a huge task

The decree of Artaxerxes in his 20th year was given

to Nehemiah under the new moon of Nisan in the year 445 B.C. and we are going to prove that further

along in this video.

The Decree of Artaxerxes Longimanus given to Nehemiah

445 B.C.

Our scripture is found in Nehemiah chapter 2.

Nehemiah 2 1……in the

month of Nisan, in the

twentieth year of King Artaxerxes,

It is important to appreciate Nehemiah’s predicament here. He was the kings butler and wine is always presented in a spirit of

celebration and cheer. The king was supposed to be the center of this

glory and good spirits, and especially when wine was being served.

So for Nehemiah’s countenance to be sad was for it to be bad. In Hebrew and as a matter of custom in ancient times a

sad countenance was a bad countenance. For the kings butler,

traditionally a man of cheer, to serve wine when he was sad was more than just a

matter of bad taste. A gloomy countenance would be perceived as a

bad attitude. It would be an insult to the presence of the king, . . Unless, . .

Unless the king understood the burden of the person bringing the

appeal and was inclined to do something about it. His royal scepter held great authority for both blessing and for judgment. We saw this in the case of Esther before a later Persian

King Ahasuerus.

The king’s butler was under the gun here. The matter he was bringing up involved the sovereignty of the Medo Persian superpower and the ruined

and forgotten city of Jerusalem, a city that in former times had not paid its taxes to the superpower of Babylon. If the Persian king did not respond

favorably to his appeal then Nehemiah was a dead man.

Alexander Scourby

Nehemiah 21.. . . . Now I had never been sad in his presence before.

2. Therefore the king said to me, “Why is your face sad, since you are not sick? This is nothing but

sorrow of heart.”So I became dreadfully afraid.

Nehemiah 23 (Nehemiah) said to the king,

“May the king live forever! Why should my face not be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ tombs, lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire?”

Nehemiah 24 Then the king said to me,

“What do you request?”

Nehemiah 2So I prayed to the God of heaven. 5 And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king,

and if your servant has found favor in your sight,

Nehemiah 25.. . . . .I ask that

you send me to Judah, to the city of my

fathers’ tombs, that I may rebuild it.”

Here is Daniel’s prophecy

Daniel 9:25“Know therefore and

understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to

restore and to build Jerusalem …”

And here again is Nehemiah sadly surveying the broken walls and burned gates of

the city of Jerusalem. He is just about to begin the

fulfillment ofDaniel’s prophecy

The Edict to Restore and Build Jerusalem

In 445 B.C. Nehemiah

secretly surveys the broken walls, the rubble, and the burned gates

of the city.

The edict Nehemiah receives from Artaxerxes Longimanus dispelled his gloom. And the work began soon afterwards.

It was a huge citywide building project to

restore and build Jerusalem

So now we cut to the chase. In what year did holy history record the issuing of a royal edict to restore and build

Jerusalem?

What year saw theCommandor Edict to rebuild Jerusalem?

Nehemiah 2 1……in the

month of Nisan, in the

twentieth year of King Artaxerxes,

Nehemiah 2 1 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.

So it was in the springtime Passover month of Nisan in the

20th year of Artaxerxes.

So when did the king Artaxerxes Longimanus

ascend the throne?

Some authorities assignthe commencement of the reign

of Artaxerxes to the death of Xerxes in July 465 B.C.. These authors say the eldest son of Xerxes, (presumably the heir

apparent), was then assassinated by Artaxerxes his younger

brother who immediately took the throne in July 465 B.C..

“Of the three sons of Xerxes the eldest was …. put to death by the youngest, Artaxerxes, ……. who at once, B.C. 465 , took the throne.” - Page 365 - Ridpath’s History of the World - Jones Publishing Co. 1910

Sir Robert Anderson held to this July 465 B.C. commencement

date as well.

“the death of Xerxes and the epoch (beginning) of the reign of Artaxerxes Longimanus should be

assigned to the latter part of July, 465 B.C..”

- Sir Robert Anderson “The Coming Prince” page 253

465 B.C. 464 B.C.The 1st Year of Artaxerxes Longimanusbegan in July of 465 B.C.

By this reckoning

465 B.C. 464 B.C.

446 B.C. 445 B.C.

His 20th year began 19 years later in July of 446 B.C. to end in July of 445 B.C.

The 1st Yearof ArtaxerxesJuly 445 B.C,

465 B.C. 464 B.C.

446 B.C. 445 B.C.

His 20th year would have begun 19 years later in July

of 446 B.C.

The 1st Yearof Artaxerxes

NISAN

465 B.C. 464 B.C.

446 B.C. 445 B.C.

His 20th year would have crossed thespringtime Nisan moon

of 445 B.C.

The 1st Yearof Artaxerxes

NISAN

445 B.C.446 B.C.

NISAN

By this reckoning the 20th year of Artaxerxes

tags the springtime Nisan moon in 445 B.C.

Others present evidence that Arbanus reigned

for seven months from July 465 B.C. and was

then assassinated by Artaxerxes in

February of 464 B.C.

“Xerxes was assassinated by Artabanus …... Consequently the accession of Artabanus can be fixed as July or August B.C.

465.”

Ref. SAO/NASA Astrophysics Dating SystemTitle: Aramaic Papyri from Assuan, note on regnal years by E.B. Nobels, 1908Monthly notices – Royal Astronomical Society, vol. 69, page 8

“Artabanus reigned for seven months, all authorities agree, which

brings us to February B.C. 464 when he was killed by Artaxerxes, whose accession can be thus fixed

with considerable accuracy”Ref. SAO/NASA Astrophysics Dating SystemTitle: Aramaic Papyri from Assuan, note on regnal years by E.B. Nobels, 1908Monthly notices – Royal Astronomical Society, vol. 69, page 8

464 B.C. 463 B.C.The 1st Year of Artaxerxes Longimanusbegan in February of 464 B.C.

Establishing the ascension of Artaxerxes Longimanus

464 B.C. 463 B.C.

445 B.C. 444 B.C.

His 20th year would have begun 19 years later in Feb.

of 445 B.C.

The 1st Yearof Artaxerxes

NISAN (March-April)

The Ascession of Artaxerxes

464 B.C. 463 B.C.

445 B.C. 444 B.C.

His 20th year would have still included thespringtime Nisan moon

of 445 B.C.

The 1st Yearof Artaxerxes

NISAN (March-April)

The Ascession of Artaxerxes

444 B.C.445 B.C.

NISAN

According to this reckoningthe 20th year of Artaxerxes STILL tags the springtime Nisan moon in 445 B.C.

So in which year did the command come to restore and rebuild the

city of Jerusalem?

Using BOTH reckoningsof the commencement

of his reign, the20th Year of Artaxerxes

still covers the Nisan moon of

445 B.C.

So the Edict issued to Nehemiah during the springtime Nisan moon of 445 B.C. initiated the Seventy Weeks Prophecy.

So the Edict of Artaxerxes Longimanus issued his 20th year as recorded in Nehemiah 2 came

in the springtime Nisan moon of 445 B.C.