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.

Righteousness

Many say today that all are unrighteous, but these passages shout to someone the glorious news that righteousness comes with salvation. Salvation is not earned by the righteousness we obtain; but righteousness is received by those who believe.

Righteousness is something to seek after:
But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. (Matt 6:33)
Righteousness makes up the kingdom:
For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. (Rom 14:17)
By Jesus we are filled with righteousness:
Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God. (Phil 1:11)
By faith we receive it:
But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: (Phil 3:7-9)
We have been changed from sin to righteousness:
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.
Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed (1 Pet 2:24)

I am the Light of the World

(Jesus said) "As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay, And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing." (John 9:5-7) (John 8:12; 9:5)

Jesus showed forth his glory by the miracles and healings that he did. (Jn 2:11)

At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you. (John 14:20)

"But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you:and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." (Acts 1:8)

Jesus' life is the life I have now received; He is in me and I am a member in particular of his glorious church. I have received the baptism/filling of the Holy Ghost that I might be empowered to be his witness.

So now; as long as I am in the world; I am the light of the world. My purpose is to show forth the glory of the one who saved me; filled me and sent me.

"Jesus answered, I have not a devil; but I honour my Father, and ye do dishonour me. And I seek not mine own glory: there is one that seeketh and judgeth." (John 8:49-50)

Like Jesus I seek not my own glory.

"Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." (Matt 5:14-16)