So who gave the commandment which began the countdown to the Messiah mentioned in Daniel 9:25? In last weeks post A Divine “Command” to Return and Build Jerusalem we asked whether this commandment was of men or God. Scholars have long held that there were four Persian decrees or commandment which might qualify. In this weeks post we will look at the first of four Persian rulers who have been deemed the person who gave the “commandment” of Daniel 9:25.
“That saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure: even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid.” Isaiah 44:28
We begin our search for the “commandment” of Daniel 9:25 with Cyrus the Great of Persia, founder of the Achaemenid Empire. It is believed by some scholars that it was Cyrus’s viceroy or general, Darius the Median, who is mentioned in Daniel 5:31. If you recall, this Darius conquered Babylon on that infamous night when Belshazzar, king of Babylon, asked Daniel to Continue reading →
The Word to Restore and Build
I don’t know about you, but if I’ve read Daniel 9:25 once, I’ve read it a hundred times. Then one day I realized that I’d never given much thought to the word “commandment” found in the text. Here take a look for yourself:
“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.” Daniel 9:25
The English word “commandment,” as it comes to us in Daniel 9:25, is a translation of the Hebrew word dabar. It means speech, word, speaking, utterance, etc. Of the 1439 times the word dabar is used in the KJV of the Bible, it is only translated as “commandment” twenty times. A bit curious don’t you think?
” Those Jews who took Herod for the Messiah, and were thence called Herodians, seem to have grounded their opinion upon the seventy weeks of years, which they found between the Reign of Cyrus and that of Herod: but afterwards, in applying the Prophesy to Theudas, and Judas of Galilee, and at length to Barchochab, they seem to have shortened the Reign of the Kingdom of Persia.”
Anyone care to guess who made the quote above? Would you believe that one of the most famous scientists of all time penned this in the early 1700’s? It may come as a surprise to some that Sir Isaac Newton had a great interest in the Bible and Biblical prophecy. It was in his Chronology of Ancient Kingdoms Amended, as quoted above, where he noticed the Jewish chronology was missing a couple of centuries. What’s fascinating is he traced the root of that missing chronology to an assumption made by early Jewish messianic expectants concerning the most important prophecy in the Bible.
It is worth considering the importance of that for a moment. Over two thousand years ago Jewish messianic believers made an assumption about the prophecy of 70 Weeks (found in the book of Daniel chapter 9) which led them to erase over two hundred years of history. Ironically, Christian scholars today have made a similar mistake only instead of erasing two hundred years of chronology they have added seventy years. What is most amazing about these chronological errors is that they are both based in what could be called an “Artaxerxes Assumption.”
For over two millennia, the holy grail of messianic prophecies has been the prophecy of “70 Weeks” found in chapter 9 of the book of Daniel. This is the only prophecy in the entire Biblical record which gives a specific datable event as a marker for the future appearance of the Messiah. As quoted above, Isaac Newton believed the prophecy was in part responsible for over two hundred years of missing Persian chronology. Though he was correct in tracing the missing chronology to an erroneous assumption concerning the prophecy of 70 weeks, Newton was incorrect in attributing that error to a starting point in the reign of Cyrus.
To get to the real root of the problem it is imperative to understand the prophecy within the context of the 2nd temple era of Jewish history. The starting point for the prophecy of Daniel 9 (which was the basis for each of the failed messianic claims noted by Newton) began with a “commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem”.
Daniel 9:25 25 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,
As explained in my article The Fifth Command there was only one “commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem” the Jewish people would have recognized. That command was the Divine command given by YHWH, proclaimed by Haggai and Zechariah and witnessed by Ezra 6:14 (see my article The Fifth Command for further explanation).
Here is how the “Artaxerxes Assumption” enters the picture. The Divine command “to restore and to build Jerusalem” was given in the 2nd year of Darius who was also known historically as “Artaxerxes”. When the Asmonaeans calculated the 70 weeks of Daniel from the 2nd year of Darius it allowed them to claim that Judas Maccabaeus was the promised messiah. When he failed to usher in the Messianic kingdom, the prophecy was recycled for the next Jewish messianic figure. Since the Divine command was given in the 2nd year of Darius “Artaxerxes” the next generation of Jewish messianic expectants just shifted the prophecy to the 2nd year of another Persian Artaxerxes. With the end of the Bar Cochab rebellion in the first part of the 2nd century the use of Daniel 9 to claim the start of the Messianic kingdom had run its course. The Rabbinic Biblical calendar was reset and 241 years of Persian history were lost.
To this day the Rabbinic Biblical calendar still reflects this mistake. Unfortunately, the “Artaxerxes Assumption” of the 1st centuries set in motion the chronological confusion which is still alive today. As a result of these errors, the only legitimate and contextually accurate fulfillment of the Prophecy of Seventy Weeks was obscured and eventually all but forgotten.
Around the turn of the twentieth century, a Scotland Yard investigator named Sir Robert Anderson (of Jack the Ripper fame) wrote a book on the prophecy of Daniel 9 called The Coming Prince. In his work on this great prophecy, Anderson made his own “Artaxerxes Assumption.” This time instead of erasing the Persian chronology, Anderson stretched the Biblical chronology of Ezra and Nehemiah by 58 years in order to fulfill his interpretation of the prophecy of 70 weeks. Today, Anderson’s interpretation is the basis for most scholars’ writings on the subject of Daniel 9. Regrettably, his good intentions were a little short on reasonable chronological evidence from the Bible.
First, Anderson ignored the contextual relevance of YHWH’s command “to restore and to build Jerusalem.” Unlike his 1st century messianic predecessors, Anderson saw no reason to begin the prophecy with the words of YHWH. Next, Anderson assumed the “Artaxerxes” of Nehemiah and Ezra was Artaxerxes Longimanus. Unfortunately, he did not base this assumption upon any Biblical evidence but instead upon a single unsubstantiated opinion of the Christian historian, Rawlinson, in his translation of Herodotus, vol. 4, p.217 . That quote as taken from Anderson’s The Coming Prince is as follows:
Artaxerxes I. reigned forty years, from 465 to 425. He is mentioned by Herodotus once (6. 98), by Thucydides frequently. Both writers were his contemporaries. There is every reason to believe that he was the king who sent Ezra and Nehemiah to Jerusalem, and sanctioned the restoration of the fortifications.” – RAWLINSON, Herodotus, vol. 4., p. 217.
Anderson, by all accounts, was an exceptional Biblical scholar. To be fair to Anderson, his assumption was understandable considering Ussher, Newton, Rawlinson, and Josephus were of the same general opinion concerning “Artaxerxes.” I mean, what kind of person argues with the opinion of some of the greatest Biblical chronologists of all time? Okay, I must admit I am raising my hand timidly from the back of the room. But with all due respect to these great men, it seemed to have been a case of each thinking the other had done his homework. In this case, their messianic zeal caused them to make an assumption which is unsupported by Biblical chronology. I appreciate the fact that they believed Ezra and Nehemiah were contemporaries of Artaxerxes Longimanus, but is that sufficient proof upon which to establish the most important prophecy in the Scripture? Kind of hard to believe, isn’t it? I encourage you to check it out for yourself. The Coming Prince can be read at Rapture Ready, one of the most respected Bible prophecy web sites on the internet. Here is what they say about Sir Robert Anderson and The Coming Prince:
“He helped establish the fact that 69 of Daniel’s 70 weeks have now transpired, and that the tribulation will be the 70th week. Sir Robert Anderson’s book, The Coming Prince, has become a foundational resource for all dispensationalists.”
With all due respect to the good folks over at Rapture Ready how can a belief about Daniel’s 70 weeks be an established “fact” when the “foundational resource” is based upon an assumption with no reasonable basis in Biblical chronology?
In closing, I would like to encourage those of you interested in Bible prophecy to check out the Biblical chronological evidence, before you make your own unfounded “Artaxerxes Assumption.”
Book 1
Book I - Description
The 13th Enumeration
"A book that will change how you look at the Bible's Messianic Symbolism."
The Jubilee Code -
"A book that will show you real Biblical evidence for Yahweh's guiding in hand history bringing about His redemptive plan for mankind."
In the 1st year of the Median king, Ahasuerus, a Judean captive named Daniel was given a prophecy concerning events which were going to happen to his people and to the city of Jerusalem. He was told the prophecy would commence with a “commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem.”
Daniel 9:2525 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.
2500 years removed from the time of Daniel, we see the history of that era in a different light than the people who lived it. How do you think they would have recognized the “commandment to restore and to build”? What would they have looked for? Whose command would they have recognized? From the perspective of the returning captives, what act would have constituted the building of Jerusalem? If we want to understand the prophecy of Daniel 9 we must understand it in the context it was given.
Today most scholars identify four possible commands which they believe qualify as a “commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem.”
The decree by Cyrus in 536 BC (To rebuild the temple and Jerusalem)
The decree by Darius (son of Hystaspes) the “Great” in 520 BC (To restart construction of the temple)
The decree by “Artaxerxes” in his 7th year (given to Ezra to return to Jerusalem)
The decree by “Artaxerxes” in his 21st year (granting Nehemiah permission to build the wall of Jerusalem)
Some claim the first two “commands” are disqualified because they refer to the building of the temple and have nothing to do with building Jerusalem. I would ask if building the temple was not the de facto event in building Jerusalem, what event would have constituted it? As you will see in the verses below, building the Temple was in fact “building Jerusalem”.
First, let’s look at Daniel 9:25 a little closer: Have any of you ever wondered why the verse says “restore” and “build”? A look at the origins of the word “restore” brings some insight to the verse. “Restore” is the Hebrew word shuwb and its primary meaning is to return or turn back. When Daniel 9:25 is read in this light, it offers another perspective on how the early Judeans might have understood the commandment to return (shuwb) and to build (banah) Jerusalem.
In 536 BC, Cyrus gave the initial decree that allowed the Jews to go up to Jerusalem and build the temple. The enemies of the Jews harassed them for the next 16 years, so instead of building the temple the people worked on their own houses. What some today may not realize but the enemies of the Jews knew without a doubt was that Jerusalem was nothing without the house of YHWH. To them building the Temple of YHWH was building Jerusalem.
KJVEzra 4:1-5 Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the children of the captivity builded the temple unto YHWH God of Israel;………Then the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah, and troubled them in building, 5 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.
According to the decree of Artaxerxes (Bardis the Magian usurper) building the temple was building Jerusalem.
Ezra 4:21-24 21 Give ye now commandment to cause these men to cease, and that this city be not builded, until another commandment shall be given from me. 22 Take heed now that ye fail not to do this: why should damage grow to the hurt of the kings? 23 Now when the copy of king Artaxerxes’ letter was read before Rehum, and Shimshai the scribe, and their companions, they went up in haste to Jerusalem unto the Jews, and made them to cease by force and power. 24 Then ceased the work of the house of God which is at Jerusalem. So it ceased unto the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.
There is another underlying dynamic which is not obvious with just a casual observation of these events. Even though YHWH stirred up Cyrus to allow the Jews to return to Jerusalem and build the temple, (thus ending the 70 years of Jeremiah) it was not until the 2nd year of Darius that YHWH’s divine anger ended. (See Zech 1:12-17 below) When YHWH’s anger towards the people finally ended He commanded them to return and build the temple.
KJVZechariah 1:7-177 Upon the four and twentieth day of the eleventh month, which is the month Sebat, in the second year of Darius, came the word of YHWH unto Zechariah, ……12 Then the angel of YHWH answered and said, O YHWH of hosts, how long wilt thou not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, against which thou hast had indignation these threescore and ten years? 13 And YHWH answered the angel that talked with me with good words and comfortable words. 14 So the angel that communed with me said unto me, Cry thou, saying, Thus saith YHWH of hosts; I am jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great jealousy. 15 And I am very sore displeased with the heathen that are at ease: for I was but a little displeased, and they helped forward the affliction. 16Therefore thus saith YHWH; I am returned to Jerusalem with mercies: my house shall be built in it, saith YHWH of hosts, and a line shall be stretched forth upon Jerusalem. 17 Cry yet, saying, Thus saith YHWH of hosts; My cities through prosperity shall yet be spread abroad; and YHWH shall yet comfort Zion, and shall yet choose Jerusalem.
Just to make sure the people got His point YHWH expressed similar sentiments to Haggai:
KJVHaggai 1:1-9In the second year of Darius the king….came the word of YHWH by Haggai the prophet unto Zerubbabel …..and to Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, saying, 2 Thus speaketh YHWH of hosts, saying, This people say, The time is not come, the time that YHWH’S house should be built…. Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your cieled houses, and this house lie waste?5 Now therefore thus saith YHWH of hosts; Consider your ways. 6 Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes. 7 Thus saith YHWH of hosts; Consider your ways. 8 Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith YHWH. 9 Ye looked for much, and, lo, it came to little; and when ye brought it home, I did blow upon it. Why? saith YHWH of hosts. Because of mine house that is waste, and ye run every man unto his own house.
The whole matter was summarized by Ezra 6:14:
KJVEzra 6:1414 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, even Artaxerxes king of Persia.
Now let’s look at Daniel 9:25 as Daniel’s people would have understood it:
KJVDaniel 9:25 25 Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to return (shuwb) and to build (banah) Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks.
Regardless of what we believe about Daniel 9, there was only one commandment the Jewish people would have recognized. Only one command they would have acknowledged. That is the “commandment to return and to build Jerusalem” given by YHWH, proclaimed by Haggai and Zechariah and witness by Ezra 6:14.
16 Therefore thus saith YHWH; I am returned (shuwb) to Jerusalem with mercies: my house shall be built (banah) in it, saith YHWH of hosts, and a line shall be stretched forth upon Jerusalem.KJVZechariah 1:16
Why have we ignored the Fifth Command?
Book 1
Book I - Description
The 13th Enumeration
"A book that will change how you look at the Bible's Messianic Symbolism."
The Jubilee Code -
"A book that will show you real Biblical evidence for Yahweh's guiding in hand history bringing about His redemptive plan for mankind."
