Posted by 70-WEEKS [Bibleman] on November 29, 1999 at 00:20:34 {DGglKT6Uj2MRXA6xmpscslyACFuF8c}:
Dear Ibelieve,
Since you are actually going to seriously consider chronology, I want to give you the simple and direct basics in just a few words:
THE 70 WEEKS PROPHECY.
That prophecy requires the Messiah to appear 483 years after Jerusalem began to be rebuilt. The Messiah appeared in 29CE and to the prophecy by necessity must have begun in 455BCE. The Jews began to rebuild Jerusalem in the 7th month in the 1st of Cyrus. The Messiah must appear in the 7th month for his 3-1/2 year ministry to work out and end at Passover Time so he must first appear 3 years and six months earlier during the time of the Festival of Booths. And that's the basis for Biblically establishing that Cyrus must fulfill that prophecy.
Once you accept that, then all other dating is set in harmony with that. Dating the 1st of Cyrus in 455BCE, of course, means the 70-year exile began 70 years earlier in 525BCE in the 23rd of Nebuchadnezzar (Jer. 52:30) and the fall of Jerusalem in the 19th year of Nebuchadnezzar occurred in 529BCE.
So 529BCE is the Biblically correct date for the fall of Jerusalem when you have Cyrus fulfill the "70 weeks" prophecy.
That's where you should begin. From those critical dates, all other Biblical dates can be determined. Essentially the most important is 2520 years from the fall of Jerusalem to fulfill the "7 times" prophecy which based upon 529BCE you get 1992.
So that's where you begin. You must get the critical understanding or issues of the "70 weeks" prophecy clearly under your belt before venturing too deeply into the complex details of ancient chronology.
And remember, only astronomical texts are our consideration for absolute dating. So you may as well start there and the two texts that are critical are the "VAT4956" and the "SK400".
The SK400 is critical because the WTS quotes from it to absolute-date the 7th of Kambyses, and the VAT4956 is critical because Carl Jonsson use it to absolute date the fall of Jerusalem in 587BCE. Of course, I use both texts, which have double-dating, to date the fall of Jerusalem in 529BCE.
And the third, issue, as mentioned, is know and understand Ezra 6:14,15. So I'll quote it. Very important. Carl, Jan and AF run from this scripture and hide.
14 And the older men of the Jews were building and makign progress under the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the grandson of Iddo, snd they built and finished it due to the order of the God of Israel and due to the order of Cyrus and Darius and ARTAXERXES the king of Persia. 15 And they completed this house by the third day of the lunar month Adar, that is, in the sixth year of the reign of Darius the king."
Okay, you're on your way.
Short and sweet.
Cheers,
Bibleman