Chronology Part II the 70 weeks in Daniel

"Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks:the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself:and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week:and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate" Daniel 9:25-27

This passage is also mentioned by Jesus in Mark 13:14 "But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judaea flee..." thus marking this as a key passage in our understanding of the end times. We are not concerned with the final week here, its time is to be yet fulfilled, but with the first 7 and 62 weeks which have historically happened.

The beginning of this time is the command to restore and to build Jerusalem, fulfilled in Cyrus' command after he became ruler of Babylon. This year we showed in part I is 539BC.
"Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, The Lord God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah" Ezra 1:1-2

What follows has been confused in many ways, trying to fit each piece of Persian/Median history, statements from Daniel, Ezra and Nehemiah as well as the prophets Haggai and Zechariah, together has left some wondering how these disparate witnesses can be reconciled. Some confusion occurs because of the kingly names being reused, particularly Darius and Artaxerxes.

We will begin with the kings of the Achaemenid line in Persia: These dates are generally accepted throughout the academic community, and unlike many Egyptian dates are felt to be certain.

Cyrus 559-530 BC; Contemporary with Darius the Mede, Dan 5:30; Dan 9; Dan 10:1at this time
Cambyses 530-522 BC
Darius I 522-486 BC
Xerxes 486-465 BC (Ahasuerus)
Artaxerxes 465-424 BC
Darius II 424-405 BC
Artaxerxes II 404-358 BC
Artaxerxes III 358-338 BC
Arses 338-336 BC
Darius codomannus 336-332 BC (defeated by Alexander the Great)

When we read in Ezra about the trouble caused by the people of the land we see the same order of the first five kings,
"Then the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah, and troubled them in building, And hired counsellors against them, to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia. And in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, wrote they unto him an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.
 And in the days of Artaxerxes wrote..." Ezra 4:4-7
We know that the name Ahasuerus is often associated with the name Xerxes, and if Cambyses is covered in the term from Cyrus to Darius than all of the first five kings are covered in this section. At the end of chapter 4, Artaxerxes writes back to cease the restoration and verse 24 tells us this ceased unto the second year of Darius, obviously speaking of Darius II. His second year would be 422 BC, 117 years from the 539 BC command from Cyrus to rebuild.
In Ezra 5:1 we hear the call begin, "Then the prophets, Haggai the prophet, and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied..." It is at this time that we enter the time of these prophets, Nehemiah and Joshua son of Jozedek.

So looking back at the prophecy of Daniel we see 7 weeks, 62 weeks, troublous times, and a final week determined upon Israel. If we split this up we get a 49 year period, a 434 year period and what would seem to be a third period which I believe is clearly in-between the first two.

The first 7 weeks, or 49 years is from 539 BC to 490 BC. This extends from the command to restore Jerusalem by Cyrus into most of the reign of Darius I, matching with the Cyrus to Darius in Ezra 4 noted above.
Next we want to determine when the 62 weeks, or 434 years, begins. We have an advantage in that we know when it ends; when Messiah is cut off. We know that Jesus was crucified in 30 AD. 434 years before this is 404 BC, exactly at the beginning of the reign of Artaxerxes II.

If this is correct, than the interregnum covers from c490 to c404 BC, or 86 years, covering the reigns of Xerxes (Ahasuerus), Artaxerxes I and Darius II. These are the exact kings mentioned in Ezra as being involved in the letter writings back and forth when the enemies of Israel are determined to make the Jews stop their rebuilding projects. During the reign of Darius II, the Jews, with the help of Nehemiah and Haggai and Zechariah begin again to rebuild and eventually a search is made by Darius II to find the original decree of Cyrus. (Ezra 5:17-6:13)
Nehemiah 2:1 states that He left for Jerusalem in the 20th year of Artaxerxes, one we would take to be Artaxerxes I and therefore the year 445 BC. He continued for 12 years unto 433 BC Neh 5:14; 13:6) It is during this time that he begins to sanctify Israel to seek the Lord.
Haggai 1:1; Zech 1:1; are in the second year of Darius...; being Darius II, and nearing the end of the troublous times. Zech 7:1 is in the fourth year of Darius.

It is interesting to note that Zechariah mentions another period of 70 years in Zech 7:5, this is the 4th year of Darius being 420 BC, or 70 years after the date of 490 BC we get for the end of the first 7 weeks (49 years). He is speaking near the end of the interregnum, encouraging the people to seek the Lord and get on with the job (Also see Zech 1:12), but the beginning of this period is when the first work ceased. It is quite instructive to see that the people were near the end, they had come at the command of Cyrus, been encouraged by Nehemiah in the midst of the troublous times to rebuild the wall, had gotten Darius to find the decree of Cyrus and now years later were nearing the end of rebuilding the temple. This was not a light thing because it solidified the place of Israel as a nation again. Here we read the prophecies of Zechariah 7-14 and Malachi in the context of coming into the fulness of what God had planned for them and the ultimate judgment of God on them and all the nations round about. Malachi particularly echoes Zech 7:5. The people are losing heart, growing weary, but the prophets come to correct and to instruct that they might not weary even though it had been generations since the command to rebuild.

Finally the job is finished and the worship of God re-instituted:
"And the elders of the Jews builded, and they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. And they builded, and finished it, according to the commandment of the God of Israel, and according to the commandment of Cyrus, and Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia. And this house was finished on the third day of the month Adar, which was in the sixth year of the reign of Darius the king" Ezra 6:14-15
This is 418 BC, the sixth year of Darius II.

"Now after these things, in the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra..." Ezra 7:1 This would be Artaxerxes II. Here we have the beginning of the period of 62 weeks unto the Messiah. The wall is rebuilt, the temple in operation and the Jews dwelling again in their homeland.

What have we learned? The Bible speaks of many kings of the Persian empire and gets everyone in proper order and helps us to understand what is happening around the command of God. Not a single statement fails to fit exactly into this construct.

Below is a graphic representation of the timeline which incorporates all these things:

Daniel’s 70 weeks	Judah	Egypt	Babylon	Media	Persia	70 weeks of Daniel	Notes	High Priest	Greece
? AD						Final Week
??????	1948 return						Church Age
30 AD							Messiah (Jesus) crucified
4 BC						404 BC-30 AD
100 BC
200 BC
300 BC		Ptolemy	Seleucus						Cassander
310 BC
332 BC					Darius III (Artashatta/Codomannus) 336-332 BC		Battle of Guagamela 331 BC		Alexander conquers Persia 332
340 BC					Artaxerxes IV (Arses) 338-336 BC
350 BC		reconquers Egypt 343 BC			Artaxerxes III (Ochus) 358 BC-338 BC
360 BC					Artaxerxes II
370 BC	32nd year Neh 5:14; 13:6				Artaxerxes II
380 BC	20th yr of Artaxerxes Neh 2:1				Artaxerxes II	Walls rebuilt in troublous times		The Levites in the days of Eliashib- to the reign of Darius the Persian
390 BC					Artaxerxes II			And Jeshua begat Joiakim, Joiakim also begat Eliashib, and Eliashib begat Joiada (Neh 12:10)
400 BC		Amyertaus	Battle of Cunaxa 401 BC		Artaxerxes II 404BC-358 BC	62 weeks or 434 years	Ezra 7:1; during the reign of Artaxerxes comes Ezra the priest 7th year of Artaxerxes	Joiakim son of Joshua	The 10,000 and Xenophon (Anabasis)
405 BC					Darius II
410 BC					Darius II
415 BC					Darius II		Finished Temple (House of God) in 6th year of Darius; Ezra 6:15
420 BC	Zech 1:1,7 2nd yr of Darius (Ezra 5:1); Haggai 1:1; 2:10		Zech 1:12 is KEY	Edict of Cyrus rediscovered in Ecbatana of the Medes	Darius II 424 BC-405 BC	Ezra 6:15 6th year of Darius finished house	Wall still broken down Neh 8 Ezra & Nehemiah (Zech 1:12 2nd year of Darius (Lo these 70 years; 490-420) Zech 7 4th year)  Zech 7:5, Edict of Cyrus rediscovered; Ezra 5; Ezra 6&7 work continues	Ezra 3:2 build the altar
425 BC	Zerubabel				Artaxerxes			Joshua son of Jozadek
430 BC					Artaxerxes		Alternate Esther? (Josephus)
435 BC					Artaxerxes
440 BC					Artaxerxes
445 BC					Artaxerxes
450 BC					Artaxerxes	? 86 yr interregnum	KEY Ezra 4:24 work ceased unto 2nd year of Darius	Ezra 7:1 7th year of Artaxerxes
455 BC					Artaxerxes (Longimannus)		Ezra 4:7
460 BC		Inaros Revolts in Egypt			Artaxerxes 465 BC-424 BC
465 BC					Xerxes
470 BC					Xerxes		Esther; Ahasuerus over 127 provinces
475 BC					Xerxes
480 BC					Xerxes				Battles of Thermopylae, Salamis and Platea
485 BC					Xerxes 486 BC-465 BC		Ezra 4:6 Xerxes = Ahasueras		Daniel 11:2; stirs up Greece
490 BC					Darius I				Battle of Marathon vs Greece
495 BC					Darius I
500 BC					Darius I
505 BC					Darius I
510 BC					Darius I		founds Persepolis (Paarsa)
515 BC					Darius I		Darius conquers in civil war
520 BC					Darius I 522 BC-486 BC		Darius the usurper, called king of kings
525 BC					Cambyses
530 BC					Cambyses 530 BC-522 BC	7 weeks or 49 years, 539-490 BC	Opposition all the days of Cyrus until Darius and into the days of Ahasueras Ezra 4
535 BC	Sheshbazzar, the prince of Judah	Daniel 9; 1st year Darius the Mede		Darius the Mede rules Babylon short time to 538	Cyrus	Daniel 9:25-27	Ezra 1:1 Cyrus’ command freeing Jews to return
539 BC	Ezra 1:1		Belteshazzar regent/Babylon	Darius the Mede	Cyrus (First year as king of Babylon)	609 BC-539 BC	Cyrus conq Babylon 539 BC
540 BC
545 BC			Nabonidus		Cyrus
550 BC			Nabonidus		Cyrus 550 BC-530 BC		Cyrus deposes Astyages 550 BC
555 BC			Nabonidus 555-539 BC (after 2 others)	Astyages	Achaemenids		Cyrus marries Astyages daughter
560 BC			Others	Astyages
565 BC			Nebuchadnezzer 605-562 BC	Astyages
570 BC	Zedekiah 597-586 BC		Nebuchadnezzer	Astyages		70 years of Jeremiah 25 and 29	Israel served Babylon until released by Cyrus
575 BC			Nebuchadnezzer	Astyages
580 BC			Nebuchadnezzer	Astyages
585 BC			Nebuchadnezzer	Astyages 585-549 BC Median
590 BC			Nebuchadnezzer	Cyaxares
595 BC	Jehoiachin		Nebuchadnezzer	Cyaxares
600 BC	Jehoiakim		Nebuchadnezzer	Cyaxares			Second captivity 2 Kings 24:1-10 598/7 BC 2Chr 36 Jer 52 Esther 2:1
605 BC	Jehoahaz	Battle of Carchemish 605 BC	Nebuchadnezzer 605-562 BC	Cyaxares			First captivity 605 BC (Dan 1:1) Mordecai’ ancestor (Esther 2:6) captivity 597 with Jehoiachin
610 BC	Josiah		Nabopolasser 626 BC-605 BC	Cyaxares		609 BC-539 BC	2 Kings 23:26-27 after Josiah Jehovah turns Judah over. Pharaoh Necho deposes Jehoahaz
625 BC	Josiah 640-609 BC	Pharaoh Necho	Nabopolasser 626 BC-605 BC	Cyaxares 624-585 BC Median		Isa 44:27-45:1 Isaiah prophecies of Cyrus

There is a problematic individual; Darius the Mede. He is mentioned as king of Babylon by Daniel when it is first conquered by the Medo-Persian empire, and he is the one who famously had Daniel thrown into a den of lions. I believe that he is the Median General who first took Babylon for Cyrus, and he only reigned for 1 year in Babylon before he died; this fits perfectly with the book of Daniel which mentions no further years of Kingship for him. The General is known as Agabu and is known to have lived only a short time after the conquering of Babylon, fitting with the only mention of him in Daniel. The following is a very good monograph on the subject which I recommend reading if you are interested in Darius the Mede. http://www.auss.info/auss_publication_file.php?pub_id=654
Some have said that Darius the Mede was Astyages the Father-in-law of Cyrus, I have not seen clear evidence for this in the contradictory accounts which exist, but either way, he was not Cyrus himself, but a king under the Great King, and as the Bible makes clear, a short-lived ruler of Babylon.

The next difficult persons are Mordecai, Esther and the Ahasuerus who marries Esther. (Ahasuerus is believed to be a title by some, but as a name it is linked to Xerxes, beginning his reign in 486 BC). According to the book of Esther, 2:5, Mordecai's Grandfather Kish went into captivity with Jeconiah (Jehoiachin). This is important, for the common idea that Mordecai went captive with Jehoiachin is untenable chronologically as he would be about 125 years old at this time. Mordecai appears in Shushan, a different city from Babylon, a city of the Medes and palace of Xerxes, remember that the Medes were allies of Babylon and must have shared in the captives taken from Jerusalem. In addition we know that Ahasuerus ruled from India to Ethiopia over 127 provinces (Esther 1:1), an extent which did not happen until after Cyrus and a division which has not yet been identified. Therefore I conclude Esther is a wife of Xerxes. (Alternatively she could be a wife of his son Artaxerxes I)

"Now in Shushan the palace there was a certain Jew, whose name was Mordecai, the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjamite; Who had been carried away from Jerusalem with the captivity which had been carried away with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away" Esther 2:5-6

Lastly is Joiakim son of Joshua son of Josedech. Joshua is a key player throughout the interregnum period and his son Joiakim takes over from him according to Nehemiah 12:26. Joshua seems to be High Priest during much of this troublous times, and is mentioned in what appears to be early returnees with Zerubabel and appears up to 70 years later in Zechariah but passes the priesthood to his son Joiakim at what was likely a very old age.

So much more to say, the story is great, Covering over 200 years of time and more than anything else teaching us to trust in God. To hear the prophecies of Haggai and Zechariah in the context of exactly what was occurring and the tremendous opposition that they faced speaks to faithfulness and determination to seek the kingdom of God (Here represented in the temple in Jerusalem) above your own life. They were fought against, in peril, and yet persevered to trust God to see it through.

Chronology Part I the 70 years prophesied by Jeremiah

I have finished my research on the problem of the chronology of the 70 years of Jeremiah and the 70 weeks of years of Daniel and how they fit with accepted Babylonian and Persian Chronology.
What I want to do here is to explain why it is important and how the Bible is specific and correct in every point. Many would say, "well I already knew that!" What is at issue is that many in the academic community continue to challenge the Bible because the pieces do not fit preconceived ideas. It also causes some relatively offbeat ideas to gain traction as people try to explain the seemingly unexplainable.

In Jeremiah we find two places where he announces specific judgment upon the kingdom of Babylon which will in the future (from his perspective) destroy Judah.
"And it shall come to pass, when seventy years are accomplished, that I will punish the king of Babylon, and that nation, saith the Lord, for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans, and will make it perpetual desolations." Jer 25:12
"For thus saith the Lord, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place." Jer 29:10

When do these 70 years start, and when do they end? Clearly the end is when Babylon is itself conquered. This is done by the Medes and the Persians under Cyrus the Great. He declares that he has been charged to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem:

"Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, The Lord God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah." Ezra 1:1-2

According to history the Medes and the Persians conquered Babylon, allowing the freedom of the Jews, this occurred in 539 BC. So 70 years before this would be 609 BC. What is happening in 609 BC which would fit this narrative? 609 BC is the year that Josiah dies, the last king who is called good. In fact, there is a clear reference to the judgment to come on Judah at the end of his reign.

"And like unto him (Josiah) was there no king before him, that turned to the Lord with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the law of Moses; neither after him arose there any like him.
 Notwithstanding the Lord turned not from the fierceness of his great wrath, wherewith his anger was kindled against Judah, because of all the provocations that Manasseh had provoked him withal. And the Lord said, I will remove Judah also out of my sight, as I have removed Israel, and will cast off this city Jerusalem which I have chosen, and the house of which I said, My name shall be there." 2Kings 23:25-27

Immediately after this Pharaoh Necho and Nebuchadnezzar II begin to interfere in the affairs of Judah, and they are no longer free. This can clearly be the time when the 70 years begin. There is a war between Egypt and Babylon, actually very extensive and involving many other players during this time. The chronicles of the kings of Babylon detail the campaigns of Nabopolasser and the early years of his son Nebuchadnezzar II. They are fighting against Assyria with their allies the Medes and Egypt is helping Assyria. After Josiah dies fighting against Egypt (2Ki 23) Pharaoh Necho sets up the king of his choice, This is 609 BC.

After this follows 4 kings:
*Jehoahaz (son of Josiah) for 3 mos
"And Pharaohnechoh put him in bands at Riblah in the land of Hamath, that he might not reign in Jerusalem; and put the land to a tribute of an hundred talents of silver, and a talent of gold" 2Ki 23:33
Egypt replaces him with:
*Jehoiakim (son of Josiah also called Eliakim) 609-598 BC
"In his days Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up, and Jehoiakim became his servant three years:then he turned and rebelled against him" 2Ki 24:1
"In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon unto Jerusalem, and besieged it." Dan1:1 (Daniel and others taken captive)
"And the king of Egypt came not again any more out of his land:for the king of Babylon had taken from the river of Egypt unto the river Euphrates all that pertained to the king of Egypt" 2Ki 24:7
*Jehoiachin (son of Jehoiakim); 598-597 BC
"At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against Jerusalem, and the city was besieged" 2Ki 24:10 (second captivity Jehoiachin was 18 years old)
*Zedekiah (son of Josiah; also called Mattaniah) 597-586 BC
"...Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon" 2Ki 24:20
"And it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came, he, and all his host, against Jerusalem, and pitched against it; and they built forts against it round about. And the city was besieged unto the eleventh year of king Zedekiah. And on the ninth day of the fourth month the famine prevailed in the city, and there was no bread for the people of the land" 2KI 25:1-3

The kings of Judah are shown in the Biblical narrative to be changing allegiances throughout this period.  It fits very well with the changing political situation of the ascendancy of Egypt and Babylon. The first captivity (Dan 1:1) to Babylon is in 605 BC (The one which included Daniel and his three friends and also included Kish the grandfather of Mordecai). The kings of Judah look to
Pharaoh to shield them from Babylon, but their trust is misplaced. In 586 BC is the final end of the kingdom of Judah with the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple by Nebuchadnezzer II in his 19th year. The people of Judah are taken into captivity for the reasons declared;

"And them that had escaped from the sword carried he away to Babylon; where they were servants to him and his sons until the reign of the kingdom of Persia: To fulfil the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her sabbaths:for as long as she lay desolate she kept sabbath, to fulfil threescore and ten years" 2Chr 36:20-21

There is also mention of King Evil-Merodach of Babylon speaking kindly and removing from prison Jehoiachin;
"And it came to pass in the seven and thirtieth year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the seven and twentieth day of the month, that Evilmerodach king of Babylon in the year that he began to reign did lift up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah out of prison;" 2Ki 25:27
Evil-Merodach is the same as Amel Marduk who reigned from 560-561 BC. He was the first king after Nebuchadnezzar. Since Jehoiachin went into captivity in 597 BC, than 37 years later is 560 BC, exactly where Amel Marduk is placed.

This is the time of Daniel, who lives in Babylon and serves the kings of that city and subsequently the  King known as Darius the Mede about whom we will learn more in part 2. The line of Babylonian rulers has ended and Daniel learns by the book of Jeremiah that the time of the captivity is to come to an end. "In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes, which was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans; In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem." (Dan 9:2)

Thus the 70 years prophesied by Jeremiah are fulfilled and the land has her sabbaths, waiting for the promised release of the captive children. There is much more to say about the timeline of detailed issues during the time from 609 BC until 586 BC. Judah is never truly free to determine its own course because they do not trust in God; and there are detailed records of the campaigns of Babylon against Egypt and Assyria which the Bible only hints at. Much of the story is also found in the book of Jeremiah and the end of 2 Chronicles.

"And the Lord God of their fathers sent to them by his messengers, rising up betimes, and sending; because he had compassion on his people, and on his dwelling place: But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against his people, till there was no remedy" 2Chr 36:15-16

Part II will discuss the historical setting of the 70 weeks which Daniel prophesied of. The times after the captivity of Israel and the coming of the Messiah.

Egyptian History; Displaced Dynasties

The following is a beginning I wrote for a proposed wikipedia page about a chronology of the ancient near east. It starts with a revision of Egyptian History, a need that has been clear for many years. The current Egyptian chronology was built upon many faulty assumptions based upon limited knowledge. The failures of this chronology are numerous, documented by many revisionists over the years, yet no one has been able to put all the pieces together. I spent many years reading various proposed revisions, but in 1998 I read the first parts of a new revision, covering ground everyone else seemed to consider settled, that work became the book Nebuchadnezzar and the Egyptian Exile, found here: http://www.displaceddynasties.com But let me tell you my story first.

My first chronology question began when, while studying the Bible and commentaries, I read that Ramesses II was the Pharaoh of the Exodus. A claim so absurd that it puts the Bible in doubt. The Pharaoh of the Bible drowned in the Red Sea after his first born was killed by the death angel. Ramesses lived into his 90's, has a tomb and his mummy has been found. How could this be? It stemmed from a faulty Egyptian chronology, only I did not have the expertise to see how to change it, only to see that something was wrong when I compared the Bible to books on ancient Egypt. My second entry into Egyptian History came with the documentary, Pharaohs and Kings, a biblical quest, by David Rohl. He opened a whole new world of showing the problems of Egyptian Chronology. He has gone on to write many books and has created a New Chronology based upon his findings. Lastly I read Centuries of Darkness by Peter James et al. A phenomenal book which details how faulty Egyptian Chronology has distorted the history of many other areas, particularly creating Greek Dark ages which are not existent from the Greek data. (This is by no means exhaustive, there are many other works which point out problems as well.)

All of these reference what appears to be the first major revisionist, Immanuel Velikovsky, someone whose works I have never read, and all suffer from the problems he did, a resistant academia who refuse to move off of their accepted chronology. All claim that the revisions are no better, and in some ways worse than the accepted chronology and therefore should just go away. Currently, unlike the early days of the 1880's, there has been a lot of work done in archaeology and chronological studies by many diligent people, but they are handicapped by the accepted Egyptian chronology causing very strained interpretations of their findings.

This brings us back to the focus of this post; a chronology which begins with a change no one else I have seen proposes, moving the 26th dynasty of Egypt parallel to the 27th dynasty, or Persian dynasty, and pulling everything else forward in time. This revision is the best I have seen to date and stands upon the work of all the previous people who have documented so many problems with the current academic chronology.

What is needed now is people from all the different historical disciplines to read this chronology and apply their expertise to test it, to compare it to the huge volume of good work out there on various archaeological sites and documents which have been translated, to find out if it continues to stand.

I am requesting a wider reading of this chronology and a recognition that a new understanding of the ancient near east is needed if we are to truly understand the past. What follows is an attempt at an introduction to this chronology:

Displaced Dynasties Chronology

This alternative chronology of Ancient Near Eastern History was begun by Jim Reilly in 1997 and continues through the present day. The chronology continues through four books on Egyptian History and 10+ papers on related cultures and their specific chronologies as they relate to this revision.

The first book in the series, Nebuchadnezzar & the Egyptian Exile, is described by Jim Reilly as follows:

_{The first volume in the Displaced Dynasties series was motivated by a single consideration. Almost seven chapters in the Hebrew Bible, exclusively contained in the writings of the biblical prophets Ezekiel and Jeremiah, describe an invasion of Egypt by Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, dated with some precision around the year 565 B.C. According to these two eyewitnesses the devastation inflicted on Egypt was catastrophic. Every temple in the country (with one exception) was demolished. Most of the population of Egypt was slaughtered or taken captive. Only a small remnant survived. For years Egypt was left without a resident pharaoh. Temple worship ceased. The devastation lasted for forty years, though from extra biblical sources we can determine that sporadic restoration activity was underway during the final two decades, following the 543 B.C. takeover of the country by Cyrus the Great. This rebuilding intensified under Cambyses, following his 525 B.C. expedition to Egypt, and into the reign of Darius I.}

_{There is but a single problem with this history. According to Egyptologists it never happened. The denial is based on an Egyptian timeline which places Manetho’s 26th (Saite) dynasty in the time frame 664-525 B.C., leaving no room either for a twenty year interregnum or for an 18 year rule by the Persians prior to 525 B.C. Amasis (570-526 B.C.), the penultimate Saite dynasty king, ruled throughout the critical forty year period.}

_{But the historians are wrong. The fault lies in the Egyptian chronology on which the traditional history is based. That chronology, throughout the relevant period, is in error by 121 years! Saite dynasty dates need to be lowered by that amount, moving the dynasty to a position overlapping the first Persian domination of Egypt.}

_{In the traditional history the Saite dynasty kings ruled Egypt for 139 years, from 664-525 B.C. They were succeeded by the Persians, who ruled for 121 years, from 525-404 B.C., this on the assumption that Cambyses came to Egypt in 525 B.C. as a conqueror and destroyer, initiating Persian rule over Egypt. We argue instead that in 543 B.C. Cyrus the Great invaded and conquered an Egypt defended only by a small Babylonian army of occupation. He immediately established Psamtik I as a vassal king, the first of the Saite dynasty pharaohs to rule Egypt as a province of the Persian Empire. In that capacity the 26th dynasty kings governed Egypt for 139 years, from 543-404 B.C.}

This important change to Egyptian Chronology is the linchpin on which the revision rests. It relies heavily on the works of those who have gone before documenting the numerous chronological issues which exist because of a clearly extended Egyptian history. Every other revision, from Immanuel Velikovsky to David Rohl, has butted up against the 26th dynasty dates which were thought to be solid and therefore left little room for all that needed to be placed in a small length of time. Once this bottleneck is relieved the anomalies described in previous works, such as Peter James' Centuries of Darkness, begin to be amazingly resolved. 

Egyptian History Revised

The four books in the Displaced Dynasties series are as follows:

Volume 1 - Nebuchadnezzar & The Egyptian Exile
Volume 2 - Piankhi the Chameleon
Volume 3 - The Genealogy of Ashakhet Part 1: From Amarna to Troy
Volume 4 - The Genealogy of Ashakhet Part 2: From Imhotep to Apophis

In the first book, The Chronicles of the Chaldean Kings are followed to show the sequence of events leading up to the Invasion of Egypt by Nebachadnezzer as told by Jeremiah and Ezekiel. The history of the 26th dynasty and particularly the reign of Pharaoh Amasis are shown to fit best in a context contemporary with the 27th, or Persian, dynasty. The Apis bulls of the Memphis Serapeum; The Udjahorresne Statue Inscription; The telescoping of the destruction wrought by Nebuchadnezzar into the history of Cambyses and the stories of Inaros, Amasis, Apries and Pharaoh Kbjd are all carefully placed within their proper historical context.

In the second book the Pharaoh Piankhi is given his proper due as a mighty king, many of whose accomplishments had been improperly given to his namesake 18th dynasty Pharaoh Thutmose III. He was contemporary with the end of the Assyrian empire and subsequent rise of the Babylonian empire. He waged many campaigns into the lands north of Egypt as chronicled on his inscriptions on the Temple of Amun in Thebes. The mis-identification of the Menkheperre Thutmose of the 18th dynasty with the Menkheperre Thutmose (Piankhi) of the 25th dynasty has placed the military exploits of Piankhi into the improper context of the 18th dynasty. This book sets that right.

In the third and fourth books, the Genealogy of Ashaket, propose a chronology extending back into the times of the third egyptian dynasty. Many synchronisms with Biblical material and other histories in the region are detailed and the true context of Troy and the Mycenaeans as well as the Santorini explosion are explained. Egyptian history is shortened to the point that the Biblical Joseph ben Jacob is seen to be one and the same with the great vizier Imhotep of the 3rd egyptian dynasty.

Many new identifications of Biblical contacts with Egypt are demonstrated.

Menkheperre Piankhi is Pharaoh Necho who battles with Babylon over the Kingdom of Judah 2 Kings 23 and Jer 38;
Takeloth III of the Southern 23rd dynasty is Pharaoh Tirhakah of Cush who contests Sennacherib in Isa 38 and 2 Kings 19;
Akhenaten is Pharaoh Shishak who defeats Rehoboam;
Jeroboam I is Labaya of the Amarna letters;
Solomon is clearly in a Bronze Age context not the iron age which shows no great kingdom of Israel;
Seankhkare Mentuhotep III of the 11th dynasty is the Pharaoh of the Exodus;
and many other small and Large events line up perfectly with the Biblical Chronology as presented in the Hebrew Texts.

In addition numerous papers have been written to discuss more supporting material for the revision as well as to examine the implications for Babylonian and Assyrian ancient history, primarily that the Kassites were absentee overlords and contemporary with the "dynasty E" kings of Babylon. Subsequent papers extended Babylonian history back through Hammurabi.

All in all the revision is extensive, covering nearly all of Ancient Near Eastern history and affecting understanding of the Egyptians, Babylonians, Persians, Assyrians, Hittites, Mittani, Ugarit, Greeks, Trojans and especially the Hebrews.

Daniel's seventy weeks

The following is a paper on Daniel's seventy weeks and how they align with secular history

In order to understand the final kings and kingdoms in the book of Revelation one must follow the progression presented in Daniel.

Daniel begins with the Kingdom of Babylon, learns of the coming of the Medo-Persian Empire and is given visions of Greece and Rome. The final kingdoms to come are sealed up for another day; to be revealed to John in the Revelation of Jesus Christ.

The timing of events are revealed in Daniel 9.

“Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks:the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself:and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week:and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate”

There is a purpose to the time determined upon Israel; to make reconciliation for iniquity; to bring in everlasting righteousness; and to seal up and anoint. This purpose tells us a lot about the final plan of God. The Revelation shows the end of the world, details about the seventieth week and the bringing in of everlasting righteousness.

“And there shall be no more curse:but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him: And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads. And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light:and they shall reign for ever and ever” Rev 22

The time given in Daniel is 70 weeks of years; 490 years. This is broken up into 3 parts; 7 weeks; 62 weeks and 1 week. (49 years, 434 years and 7 years)

The first two parts are fulfilled; they end with Messiah being cut off, but not for himself.

Captivity of 70 years		609 BC-539 BC	Jer 25 and 29
7 weeks	49 years	539 BC-490 BC	Cyrus to Darius I
Troublous Times		487 BC-404 BC	Ezra 1:1; Neh 2:1
62 weeks	434 years	404 BC-30 AD
Interegnum	?	30 AD to present day	The Church of Jesus Christ
1 week	7 years	?	Revelation

The first 7 weeks begin when the commandment to restore Jerusalem comes by The Persian King Cyrus; In his first year as king of Babylon.

First Year of Cyrus; 

Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, The Lord God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. (Ezra 1:1)

According to the best historical data the first year of Cyrus as king of Persia was 550 BC and his conquering of Babylon was 539 BC. In light of the fact that he could not restore a people captive to another nation, and that Daniel’s view is from the perspective of Babylon, we believe that the commandment to restore Jerusalem came when Cyrus conquered Babylon; 539 BC.

The Kings of Persia are as listed here.

Cyrus 550BC-530 BC

Cambyses 530 BC-522 BC

Darius I (son of Hystapes) 522 BC-486 BC

Xerxes 486 BC-465 BC

Artaxerxes (Longimanus) 465 BC-424 BC (Ahasueras)

Darius II 424 BC-405 BC

Artaxerxes II 404 BC-358 BC

Artaxerxes III (Ochus) 358-338 BC

Arses     338-336 BC

Darius (Codomannus) 336-332 BC (Conquered by Alexander of Macedon)

Another important piece of information is the identity of Darius the Mede (Dan 11:1). He is the Median ruler, under Cyrus, who conquered Babylon and ruled over a part of the empire under Cyrus. The Medians were allies with Babylon against Assyria, but joined with The Persians to conquer Babylon when it began to weaken. The relationship between the Persians, the Medes and the Babylonians is difficult to discern from historical records, but the Medes and the Persians became very closely linked with Cyrus taking over head rulership of both, but a “king” of the Medes remained.

The timing therefore is as follows:

Jeremiahs prophecy of 70 years of bondage fits from 609 BC until 539 BC. 609 BC is when Pharaoh Necho takes Jehoiakim and replaces Jehoahaz as king. Jehoiakim serves Nebuchadnezzer. (These dates may be moved slightly later to when Jehoiakim actually chooses to serves Nebuchadnezzar.) see Jeremiah 25 and 29

And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years.

 And it shall come to pass, when seventy years are accomplished, that I will punish the king of Babylon, and that nation, saith the Lord, for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans, and will make it perpetual desolations (Jer 25:11-12)

Dan 9:2; Daniel Understand by books the seventy years of service to Babylon and asked when this should come to pass; the vision of seventy weeks was the answer.

The first period of 7 weeks (49 yrs) is from 539 BC-490 BC. (Or somewhat later) This goes into the time of Darius I. There seems to have been a halt on the work in Jerusalem after this because of the trouble caused by the people around about Jerusalem who wrote letters and spoke against Israel. This pause continued until Ezra, Nehemiah, Zechariah and Haggai came and pushed them through. Everything was set for the 62 week period to begin in 404 BC.

Then the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah, and troubled them in building, And hired counsellors against them, to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia. And in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, wrote they unto him an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem. (Ezra 4:4-6).

Darius I finds the command of Cyrus to rebuild Jerusalem in Achmetha (Ecbatana). (Ezra 6) Ecbatana was and is a city in Media; now western Iran.

Specific letter to Artaxerxes I (Ahasueras) in his first year (465 BC) requesting that he stop allowing the Jews to rebuild Jerusalem. (Ezra 4:11).

Ezra receives letter from Artaxerxes I, in his 7th year, (458 BC) commending him to fulfill the command to rebuild Jerusalem. (Ezra 7)

Haggai prophesies:

In the second year of Darius the king, (422 BC) in the sixth month, in the first day of the month, came the word of the Lord by Haggai the prophet unto Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, saying…(Haggai 1:1)

In the eighth month, in the second year of Darius, came the word of the Lord unto Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet, saying (Zech 1:1)

The time of Nehemiah; beginning in the 20th year of Artaxerxes, 445 BC; rebuilding the wall in troublous times. Nehemiah became governor for 12 years. (Neh 5:14) (445 BC-433 BC)

The beginning of the 62 week period (434 yrs) is 404 BC, and it ends in 30 AD.

404 BC is the first year of Artaxerxes II. This is based on the crucifixion of Jesus being in 30 AD; when Messiah was cut off, but not for himself. (Jesus crucified in 30 AD; born in 4 BC.)

The final week begins with the catching away of the church and the free reign of the destruction of sin in the earth until the final end and restoration of righteousness.

Esther is not absolutely worked out, but clearly Mordecai was in the captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon and ended up in Shushan a city of the Medes in that province of the greater Babylonian empire.

“Now in Shushan the palace there was a certain Jew, whose name was Mordecai, the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjamite; Who had been carried away from Jerusalem with the captivity which had been carried away with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away” (Esth 2:5) (About 597 BC).

Esther’s Ahasueras must have been within a timeframe for Mordecai to still be alive. Shushan is the palace in the province of Elam which borders Babylon.

Now it came to pass in the days of Ahasuerus, (this is Ahasuerus which reigned, from India even unto Ethiopia, over an hundred and seven and twenty provinces:) That in those days, when the king Ahasuerus sat on the throne of his kingdom, which was in Shushan the palace, In the third year of his reign (Esth 1:1-3)

A Change of Government (CA)

Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out. Jn 12:31

Jesus declared in this statement that the prince of this world has been defeated. Jesus defeated him in his death, burial and resurrection, no more could Satan lay claim to all men. Because of Adam's sin and abdication of his responsibility to dress and keep the garden, Satan had dominated men and held them in bondage. As in Adam all died, so in Jesus all who believe are made alive! The change of government casts Satan out and he cannot rule as he did in times past.

And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. Eph 2:1-3

Everyone, whosoever will, has been called out of the darkness of the former days and given opportunity to come into the light. This change is one more reason for understanding the catching away.

How do we go from here to the catching away? Because this major change in government is what keeps the world from being as bad as it otherwise would be.

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given:
and the government shall be upon his shoulder:
and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God,
The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end,
upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom,
to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice
from henceforth even for ever.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this. (Isa 9:6-7)

The ruler spoken of is Jesus, and his government is now active. The kingdom of Heaven is at hand. (Matt 3:2; 4:17; 10:7) Jesus rules and there is no end to his government. Saul made havoc against the church and Jesus asked him why are you persecuting me? The church is Jesus' representative on earth, and it is also the hinderer of lawlessness. (2 Thess 2:5-8)

When the church is removed there will be an increase of lawlessness such that we would be shocked, we see its description in the Revelation as the wrath of God is poured out upon it. But thankfully today we live in the Government of the Prince of Peace, and that complete acceptance into his beloved body, the church, is available to all who would call upon him. The love of God calls out to whosoever would hear to come into this kingdom and be free from the wrath that is to come, but more importantly to receive all the fulness of what God has freely given in Jesus.

A Penitent Heart

Then Job answered the Lord, and said,
 I know that thou canst do every thing,
and that no thought can be withholden from thee.
 Who is he that hideth counsel
without knowledge?
therefore have I uttered that I understood not;
things too wonderful for me, which I knew not.
 Hear, I beseech thee, and I will speak:
I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me.
 I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear:
but now mine eye seeth thee.
 Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent
in dust and ashes (Job 42:1-6)

Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, saith the Lord God. Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin.
 Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord God: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye. (Ezek 18:30-32)

In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. (Matt 3:1-3)

From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent:for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. (Matt 4:17)

Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost (Acts 2:38)

And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead. (Acts 17:30-31)

Repentance is a cardinal doctrine in the Bible. (Heb 6:1) For both John the Baptist and Jesus it was their first message. The goodness of God leads men to repentance (Rom 2:4), Godly sorrow leads men to repentance (2Cor 7:10), and God desires all to come to repentance (2Pet 3:9). In repentance, one turns from the wrong way, renounces it, and cleaves to the right way. One acknowledges failure and gives it up to receive from God the righteousness of Jesus.

God the Father is calling men to come to receive new life in Jesus, they can be baptized for the remission of sins and made a new creation by a miracle. (2Cor 5:17) It is in Jesus that all receive newness of life.

A penitent heart does not require sin, it requires an acknowledgement of God as supreme and his mercy as perfect. It recognizes that only in Jesus is there life forever. Only because of God's mercy were we not all destroyed (Lam 3:22), and only because of that mercy can we stand before him at all. Job saw this clearly, and though he had spoken right he saw that his right was nothing compared to the glory of God which he now saw.

How much more should we repent for any sin, for any evil spoken! Recognize that only God can see and correct that which is wrong and correction is a blessing for the believer. (Heb 12:7). As David cried out, Search me Oh God. (Ps 139:23) A Penitent life is one not of self examination, but of submission to God's examination. The Holy Spirit, the word of God and the gifts of God to his church all speak forth that which is right, calling men to right living.

If any man sin, we have an advocate (1Jn 2:1). Jesus is our payment for sin. This payment began with Adam and Eve, where animals were killed to make them a covering and with Cain and Able, where the proper sacrifice was demanded, but repentance offered when it was done wrong. The payment for Cain was available, pointed out by God, but he refused and instead slew his brother. Jesus is now preached, the payment for sin, the way of salvation from the bondage of sin. Do not refuse instruction (Prov 8:33) and do not refuse the one who speaks from Heaven (Heb 12:25).

Repentance acknowledges that all righteousness is from God; It is God who makes righteous, not man who earns righteousness. (Ezek 33:13; Rom 10:3)

We can live, in the new life we have been given by the Father, in Christ Jesus, sealed by the Holy Ghost; completely submitted to the fulness of all that God has freely given to those who will believe. A Penitent heart is essential, therefore, Repent.