Daniel 9:24-27. “Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy place. “So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; it will be built again, with plaza and moat, even in times of distress. “Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be *cut off and have nothing,
Philippians 2:5-8. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
Rather than search for the very nebulous date of the decree issued by Artaxerxes Longimanus, this article will attempt to establish the much more verifiable date of Jesus’ crucifixion and work backwards in time from that. It is the hope that not only the year can be established but the likely time of the year and a close approximation of the day when the decree was issued.
To isolate the years when the crucifixion could have taken place we shall refer to a reputable source namely; ‘Passover dates 26-34 A.D.’ based upon the findings of the U.S. Naval Observatory Astronomical Applications Department. Reference to this document shows that for Jesus to be ‘in the grave for three days and three nights’ He must have been crucified on a Wednesday. Within the date range of the document only two years qualify; 28 and 31 A.D.
For Jesus to have died in 28 A.D. His birth must have been in the Spring of 6 B.C. This would seem a rather imprecise calculation on the part of those who established A.D. Anno Domini (the year of our Lord).
The date of 31 A.D. suggests that Jesus’ birth was in the Spring of 3 B.C. allowing for the death of Herod the Great in early 1 B.C. This year for the death of Herod was unchallenged prior to 1540 A.D.
At this point, to keep things simple, it will be assumed that the length of Jesus life on earth was thirty three years. Taking note that 1 B.C. to 1 A.D. is one year then, if Jesus was born in 3 B.C., His death, resurrection and ascension will have occurred in 31 A.D. Reference to the aforementioned chart shows that Jesus crucifixion took place on 25 April of that year.
Much evidence demonstrates that the half of the last week of Daniel’s prophecy consists of 3 ½ years of 42 months consisting of 30 days for a total of 1,260 days. It may be assumed then that the sixty nine weeks of years were also composed of thirty day months. 69 x 7 x 360 = 173,880 days.
Using the now known precise calendar year of 365.2422 days, leads to the year of 446 B.C. with a remainder which amounts to 24 days and which again gives a remainder of 17 hours.
We know that Jesus was crucified at 9 a.m. on our selected day of 25 April (ref. Mark 16:25). In 446 B.C. twenty four days before that date would be 1 April and an additional 17 hours would lead to the decree being issued at around 4 p.m. (Jerusalem time) on 31 March of that year. I pondered that Nehemiah might well have been serving wine to the king at that hour.
Nehemiah chapter 2 recounts the conversation between Nehemiah and the king with the queen present which led to the issuing of letters to the ‘governors of the provinces’. It is noteworthy that 1 Nisan was on 26 March in 446 B.C. Nehemiah 2:1. ‘And it came about in the month Nisan’.
Our earth rotates once every twenty four hours. However, the earth’s orbit does not fit neatly into earth days. It has a fraction of a day remaining when it reaches the same point in its orbit each year. When we take 173,880 divine days and try to fit this number into calendar years, months and days we arrive at an answer we do not expect. However, the resulting date and time may unveil God’s mystery to point exactly to the date and time when the decree was issued.
In providing an account of these matters the one who has prepared this outline is in a state of godly fear and trembling that the revelation disclosed be according to God. Thomas Walker 15 July 2023
Restore and Rebuild
“So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince* (more precisely – an anointed leader) there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks….” The focus here is upon ‘to restore and rebuild Jerusalem’ whose walls had been broken down and whose gates were gone. N.B. The ‘anointed leader’ at that time to perform this task was Nehemiah who received a decree from the King of Persia enabling this task to be done.
Acts 10:38 ‘….God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power’. As God’s ‘Anointed Leader’ Jesus is directing and overseeing the building of His church that it may be, in its ultimate expression, the holy city, new Jerusalem. Its walls are being constructed and its gates will be put in place. All redeemed believers in Jesus have an active part ‘as living stones’ to be built together with others.‘….built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord’. Ephesians 2:19-22. Alas, how ‘broken down’ are the walls of the church on earth right now!
*The translation ‘Messiah the Prince’ seems to have influenced Sir Robert Anderson, Chuck Missler and others to focus on Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem rather than on His crucifixion. Yet the focus in this passage is clearly upon the words ‘to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness….’ This was accomplished through the death on the cross of God’s ‘Anointed One’. (Stated with respect and deference to these fine expositors).
Living Stones
Without the cross there could be no ‘living stones’ – no building. “Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah (an anointed one) will be **cut off and have nothing. **Strong’s has OT:3772 karath (kaw-rath’); to cut (off, down or asunder); by implication, to destroy or consume; specifically, to covenant (i.e. make an alliance or bargain, originally by cutting flesh and passing between the pieces):
Luke 22:20. And in the same way He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood.” Isaiah 53:5. But He was pierced through for our transgressions…. The moment when the first nail pierced the hand of Jesus and His blood started to flow from Him, God’s covenant was ratified. Thus, Messiah (an anointed one) was cut off and the covenant in His blood came into effect at the third hour of the day, which is 9 a.m. Mark 16:25.
The Date of Jesus’ Crucifixion
From ‘Passover dates 26-34 A.D. U.S. Naval Observatory Astronomical applications department’ the 14th day of Nisan (Passover) fell on Wednesday April 25 in 31 A.D.
Years ruled out
Neither B.C. 445 or B.C. 444 qualify for the issuing of the decree because, if 24 days and 17 hours are added before the dates of Passover then the decree would have been issued in the month Adar. Nehemiah 2:1 specifically states ‘in the month Nisan’. Also, Passover in 32 A,D. and 33 A.D. fell on a Monday and a Sunday respectively.
The Math
For those who may be interested.
69 x 7 x 360 = 173,880 days
173,880 divided by 365.2422 = 476.067661 years 446 B.C. year
0.067661 x 365.2422 = 24.7128 days 24 days before 25 April at 9 a.m.
0.7128 x 24 = 17.1072 hours 17 hours before 1 April at 9 a.m. is 4 p.m.
Moving backwards in time from the crucifixion at 9 a.m. on 25 April 31 A.D. results in the year 446 B.C. Then 24 days and 17 hours back from 9 a.m. on 25 April brings us to the date of 31 March in 446 B.C. at around 4 p.m. Jerusalem time. (4.30 p.m. in Susa?) The date on the Jewish calendar being 6 Nisan.
N.B. Using the even more accurate 365.24218979 days for earth’s orbit only adds 8 minutes time.
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