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Particulars of Christianity:
314 End Times Prophecy (Eschatology)


Timeline of Biblical World History

The Sabbath Millennium
Timeline of Biblical World History


Introduction

NOTE: What follows below is the initial section of our previously longer chronology study. Until recently we had two sections containing addenda with additional data and considerations regarding biblical calculation of world history. For the time being we have removed those addenda as we have reworked that material and are preparing the revised versions to be posted online. When we are finished preparing them they will be added as new links to this study series. Remaining below is the simple, straightforward count of biblical world history that will be retained in our forthcoming revised study. If you are interested in a more in-depth investigation into this subject please check back in the months ahead for our revised, comprehensive study.

This study is a supplement to our Sabbath Millennium study article online. In this article we will attempt to provide a biblical count of the years of human history. The purpose is not to attempt any exact figure of world history or to calculate Christ’s return. Rather, the goal is to demonstrate that, biblically speaking, there have been approximately 6,000 years of human history recorded to date. (For reference this article was written in 2010.)

The study below is divided into sections covering the periods of biblical history. These segments are based on divisions of genealogical lists and year counts provided in various biblical passages. In each section we will provide a simple count of the amount of time that is biblically indicated for a given period of time. And we will explain how that count was made using biblical and historical data.

As we proceed we will keep a running total of the amount of years of biblical history since creation. This total will be identified with the letters AM, an abbreviation for the Latin term Anno Mundi, meaning “year of the world.” This Latin term is commonly used for the purpose of calculating the number of years of biblical history.

Anno Mundi – Anno Mundi (Latin: "in the year of the world") abbreviated as AM or A.M., refers to a Calendar era counting from the Biblical creation of the world. – wikipedia.org

For reference, the Hebrew calendar also counts the number of years from the creation of the world. The calendar year beginning September 19, 2009 through September 8, 2010 was equivalent to the year 5770 by this Hebrew reckoning. As of September 9, 2010 the Hebrew calendar began the year 5771 AM, Anno Mundi.

Hebrew Year – The present counting method for years use the Anno Mundi epoch (Latin for "in the year of the world", abbreviated AM or A.M. and also referred to as the Hebrew era. Hebrew year 5770 began on 19 September 2009 and ended on 8 September 2010. Hebrew year 5771 (a leap year) began on 9 September 2010 and ends on 28 September 2011. – wikipedia.com

Here is a brief look ahead at the sections we will cover as we proceed through this study.

1. Creation to the Flood
2. The Flood to the Birth of Abraham
3. The Birth of Abraham to the Birth of Isaac
4. From the Birth of Isaac to the Exodus
5. From the Exodus to the Beginning of Solomon’s Reign
6. From the Beginning of Solomon’s Reign to the Desolation of Jerusalem and the Temple
7. The Desolation of Jerusalem and the Temple to the Decree to Restore and Rebuild the City and Its Walls
8. The Decree to Restore and Rebuild the City and Its Walls to the Coming and Death of the Messiah
9. The Death of Christ to the Present
10. At Least 7 Years Before Christ’s Return
11. Conclusions on the Total Years of Biblical World History

We will begin with the earliest period of biblical history: Creation to the Flood.



Creation to the Flood

This period of biblical history spans the beginning of creation to the Flood. Biblical data for this period is contained in the genealogical accounts of Genesis 5 and 7. Below is a list of the relevant amounts of time along with the relevant scripture passages where that information is provided.

Adam was created on the sixth day of creation (Genesis 1:23-31) and he was 130 years old when Seth was born (Genesis 5:3).
Seth was 105 years old when Enos was born (Genesis 5:6).
Enos was 90 years old when Cainan was born (Genesis 5:9).
Cainan was 70 years old when Mahalaleel was born (Genesis 5:12).
Mahalaleel was 65 years old when Jared was born (Genesis 5:15).
Jared was 162 years old when Enoch was born (Genesis 5:18).
Enoch was 65 years old when Methusaleh was born (Genesis 5:21).
Methusaleh was 187 years old when Lamech was born (Genesis 5:25).
Lamech was 182 years old when Noah was born (Genesis 5:28-29).
According to Genesis 7:11, Noah was 600 years old when the Flood occurred.

Total years from Creation to the Flood:
1656

Date of the Flood
1656 AM

By adding up the ages of the patriarchs we can see that the biblical account of history from creation to the Flood contains a total 1656 years. This biblical calculation of the years of History prior to the Flood is very straightforward.

God’s destruction of the world by the Flood is a very significant event in history. However, we should note that this event did not take place on any particularly significant year. We might suppose that an event of monumental importance such as the Flood would take place on a special year in human history – perhaps at the close of the first thousand years or the second thousand years. But, as we can see, the biblical account places the Flood at 1656 years after creation – that’s not an even number of years.

Neither was Noah born in any special year. He was born 600 years before the Flood. This would make the year of Noah’s birth 1056 from creation. We will keep these facts in mind as we continue to chart other significant events in biblical history.



The Flood to the Birth of Abraham

The next segment of biblical history proceeds from the Flood in 1656 AM to the birth of Abraham. As with the previous period this section of biblical history is provided through genealogical data. This data is derived chiefly from Genesis 11. But in order to calculate the amount of time to Abraham’s birth we will need to do a little bit of cross referencing with other verses.

Genesis 11:26 states that Terah (Abraham’s father) was 70 years old and that he begat three sons: Abraham (Abram,) Nahor, and Haran.

Genesis 11:26 And Terah lived seventy years, and begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran.

As we can see, this verse does not tell us how old Terah was at the birth of each of his sons (or more specifically at the birth of Abraham.) We can determine Terah’s age at Abraham’s birth by looking at a few other nearby verses.

Genesis 11:32 explains that Terah died in Haran at 205 years of age.

Genesis 11:32 And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years: and Terah died in Haran.

Just after this, Genesis 12:4 tells us that Abraham left Haran at 75 years of age.

Genesis 12:4 So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.

By putting the information contained in these passages together we can see that Abraham was 75 years old when his father Terah died at age 205. So, if Abraham was 75 when Terah died at 205, then Terah must have been 130 when Abraham was born (205 – 75 = 130.)

Now that we know how old Terah was when Abraham was born we can get a total number of years for the period from the Flood until Abraham’s birth and we can add it to our running total of biblical history. Below is the biblical count of years from the Flood until the birth of Abraham.

Noah's son Shem had a son named Arphaxad, 2 years after the Flood (Genesis 11:10).
Arphaxad was 35 years old when he had a son named Salah (Genesis 11:12).
Salah was 30 years old when he had a son named Eber (Genesis 11:14).
Eber was 34 years old when he had a son named Peleg (Genesis 11:16).
Peleg was 30 years old when he had a son named Reu (Genesis 11:18).
Reu was 32 years old when he had a son named Serug (Genesis 11:20).
Serug was 30 years old when he had a son named Nahor (Genesis 11:22).
Nahor was 29 years old when he had a son named Terah (Genesis 11:24).
Terah was 130 years old when he had a son named Abram (Genesis 11:26,32, 12:4, Acts 7:4).

Total years from Creation to the Flood:
1656

Total years from the Flood to the Birth of Abraham:
352

Date of Abraham’s Birth:
2008 AM

Using this fairly straightforward information we can see that the Flood took place at 1656 AM and Abraham was born 352 years later in the year 2008 AM. Again, we should note that although it is relatively close to the 2,000 year mark, the birth of Abraham, a significant figure in biblical history, does not coincide with a special year or a round number of years after creation.



The Birth of Abraham to the Birth of Isaac

According to Genesis 21:5, Abraham was 100 years old when his son Isaac was born.

Genesis 21:5 And Abraham was an hundred years old, when his son Isaac was born unto him.

This is a simple and straightforward statement of fact. So, we will add 100 years to our chronology.

Total Years from Creation to the Flood
1656

Total Years from the Flood to the Birth of Abraham
352

Total Years from the Birth of Abraham to the Birth of Isaac
100

Date of the Birth of Isaac
2108 AM

From the Birth of Isaac to the Exodus

In this next section of biblical world history we will need to do some cross-referencing and comparison of scriptural texts. We will start with Genesis 15:13-16.

In Genesis 15:13-16, God tells Abraham that his descendents will be servants in a land that is not their own (Egypt) for 400 years and that they will come out in the fourth generation.

Genesis 15:13 And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; 14 And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance. 15 And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age. 16 But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.

From this passage we learn several things. In verse 13, God refers to Abraham’s seed and then describes a period of 400 years. From this we may conclude that the 400 years mentioned here would begin with the first generation of Abraham’s descendants (or seed.) Therefore, Genesis 15 seems uses the birth of Isaac to mark the beginning of the 400 years.

We should take into account that Exodus 12:40-41 states that the children of Israel (Abraham’s descendants) sojourned for 430 years.

Exodus 12:40 Now the sojourning of the children of Israel, who dwelt in Egypt, was four hundred and thirty years. 41 And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years, even the selfsame day it came to pass, that all the hosts of the LORD went out from the land of Egypt.

There are several reasons why this may seem to contradict what we just read in Genesis 15. First, Genesis 15 mentions a period of 400 years that concludes with Abraham’s descendants leaving Egypt. Exodus 12 refers to a period of 430 years ending at the same event. And, according to Acts 7:6 and Genesis 15:13-16, both periods deal with the time of Israel’s sojourning. These amounts (400 and 430) are obviously not equivalent to one another.

Second, Genesis 15:13-16 (and Acts 7:6) seem to indicate that the entire period from the birth of Isaac to the Exodus would only be 400 years. Additionally, Genesis 46 (verses 5-28, 31) and Genesis 47 (verses 1, 5, 27-29) indicate that the descendants of Israel didn’t go to Egypt until the time of Jacob, Abraham’s grandson. If the 430 years starts at the time of Jacob’s entrance into Egypt then these passages seem to conflict with one another. For, 430 years starting when Jacob was 130 years old is much longer than 400 years starting with Isaac’s birth 190 years earlier. (Isaac was 60 when Jacob was born – Genesis 25:26. Jacob was 130 when he and his family went to Egypt – Genesis 47:8-9. Therefore, Isaac was born 190 years before Jacob and his family went to Egypt.) Since both amounts end at the same time, this seems like a potential discrepancy.

This conflict is not really a difficult one and the resolution is, in fact, well known. In Galatians 3:16-17, Paul explains that the covenant that God gave to Abraham came 430 years before the Law that Moses gave during the Exodus.

Galatians 3:16 Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. 17 And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect.

It is worth noting that Paul uses the same amount of time as Exodus 12 (430 years.) However, the important thing is that Paul indicates that the 430 years spans from the time Abraham received the promise until the Exodus when Moses gave the Law to Israel. Therefore, according to Paul, there were 430 years between the time Abraham received the promise and the Exodus.

Genesis 12:1-4 provides an indication of when Abraham first received the promise to inherit Canaan Land.

Genesis 11:32 And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years: and Terah died in Haran. 12:1 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: 2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: 3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. 4 So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.

As we can see from the context of this passage, Abraham had already received this promise prior to the death of his father Terah. After Terah’s death (in chapter 11:32,) chapter 12:1 immediately informs us that God had already given Abraham this promise. Now we know that Abraham was 75 years old when Terah died (verse 4.) So, we may presume that he was at least a few years younger when he first received this promise from God.

If we pull the information in these passages together (Genesis 11, Genesis 15, Exodus 12, and Galatians 3) we can see that all of these texts are easily reconciled. Abraham received the promise (to inherit Canaan Land) at the age of 70 years old (five years before Terah’s death.) Thirty years later Isaac was born when Abraham was 100 years old. Isaac’s birth marks the first generation of Abraham’s descendants. According to Genesis 15:13-16, there would be 400 years from the birth of Isaac to the Exodus in the fourth generation. Because of this Paul can say that the Law (given during the Exodus) came 430 years after Abraham received the promise from God (at age 70.)

Using these biblical texts we can deduce the amount of time from the birth of Isaac to the Exodus as 400 years. This seems to fit with information provided elsewhere in the Old Testament.

Lastly, we will again take notice of the fact that the Exodus, a very significant biblical event, does not take place in any exact number of years after creation.

Total Years from Creation to the Flood
1656

Total Years from the Flood to the Birth of Abraham
352

Total Years from the Birth of Abraham to the Birth of Isaac
100

Total Years from the Birth of Isaac to the Exodus
400

Date of the Exodus
2508 AM


From the Exodus to the Beginning of Solomon’s Reign

1 Kings 6:1 provides a simple and straightforward count of the amount of years from the Exodus to the time when Solomon began to build the Temple. According to 1 Kings 6:1, Solomon began to build the Temple in the fourth year of his reign. This was during the 480th year after the Exodus.

1 Kings 6:1 And it came to pass in the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the month Zif, which is the second month, that he began to build the house of the LORD.

For the purposes of later calculations, it is easier to use the beginning of Solomon’s reign as the marker for this period rather than the building of the Temple. With this in mind, we note that this was the 4th year of Solomon’s reign and the 480th year after the Exodus. It is most likely that this means that Solomon had completed 3 years of reign and was currently in his fourth year. By the same reasoning, Israel would have completed 479 years since the Exodus and currently be in the 480th year. So, according to 1 Kings 6:1, there were 476 years between Solomon’s coronation as king and the Exodus from Egypt (479 – 3 = 476 or 480 – 4 = 476.)

As with previous sections, we will note that none of the significant events in this period began at particular or special distances after creation. Significant events in this period include: the conquest of the final Canaanite people and the city of Jerusalem by David, David’s anointing, David’s becoming king of either Judah or Israel, Solomon’s coronation.

Total Years from Creation to the Flood
1656

Total Years from the Flood to the Birth of Abraham
352

Total Years from the Birth of Abraham to the Birth of Isaac
100

Total Years from the Birth of Isaac to the Exodus
400

Total Years from the Exodus to the Beginning of Solomon’s Reign
476

Date of the Beginning of Solomon’s Reign
2984 AM



From the Beginning of Solomon’s Reign to the Desolation of Jerusalem and the Temple

Our next period of biblical world history begins with the onset of King Solomon’s reign and ends with the desolation of Jerusalem and the Temple by the Babylonians under King Nebuchadnezzar. The amount of years contained in this period can be determined in two ways. First, we may add the total number of years of the kings of Judah beginning with Solomon and ending with Zedekiah (the final king of Judah) at the time of the Babylonian desolations. Below is a list of these kings, their years of rule, and the biblical passages that provide this data.

David's son, Solomon reigned over Israel from Jerusalem for 40 years (1 Kings 11:42-43).
Solomon's son, Rehoboam reigned over Judah for 17 years (1 Kings 14:21).
Rehoboam's son, Abijam reigned over Judah for 3 years (1 Kings 14:31, 1 Kings 15:1-2).
Abijam's son, Asa reigned over Judah for 41 years (1 Kings 15:8-10, 2 Chronicles 16:13).
Asa's son, Jehoshaphat reigned over Judah for 25 years (1 Kings 22:41-42).
Jehoshaphat's son, Jerhoram reigned over Judah for 8 years (1 Kings 22:50, 2 Chronicles 21:1. 2 Chronicles 21:20).
Jehoram's son, Ahaziah reigned over Judah for 1 year (2 Chronicles 22:2).
Ahaziah's mother, Athaliah reigned over Judah for 6 years (2 Chronicles 22:12).
Ahaziah's son, Joash reigned over Judah for 40 years (2 Chronicles 23:1, 2 Chronicles 24:1).
Joash's son, Amaziah reigned over Judah for 29 years (2 Chronicles 25:1).
Amaziah's son, Uzziah reigned over Judah for 52 years (2 Chronicles 26:1-3).
Uzziah's son, Jotham reigned over Judah for 16 years (2 Chronicles 26:23, 2 Chronicles 27:1).
Jotham's son, Ahaz reigned over Judah for 16 years (2 Chronicles 27:9, 2 Chronicles 28:1).
Ahaz' son, Hezekiah reigned over Judah for 29 years (2 Chronicles 28:27, 2 Chronicles 29:1).
Hezekiah's son, Manasseh reigned over Judah for 55 years (2 Chronicles 32:33, 2 Chronicles 32:1).
Manasseh's son, Amon reigned over Judah for 2 years (2 Chronicles 33:20-21).
Amon's son, Josiah reigned over Judah for 31 years (2 Chronicles 33:25, 2 Chronicles 34:1).
Josiah's son, Jehoahaz reigned over Judah for 3 months (2 Chronicles 36:1-2).
Jehoahaz' brother, Eliakim (or Jehoiakim) reigned over Judah for 11 years until Nebuchadnezzar came and took him away to Babylon (2 Chronicles 36:5.)
Jehoiakim's son, Jehoiachin reigned over Judah for 3 months and was then taken to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar (2 Chronicles 36:9).
Jehoichim's brother, Zedekiah reigned over Judah for 11 years at which time Nebuchadnezzar came and exiled the remaining residents of Judah and burned Jerusalem, its walls, its houses, and the Temple. (2 Chronicles 26 and 2 Kings 23:36-25:18-21.)

As we can see, according to the books of Chronicles and Kings, there were a total of 433.5 years from the beginning of Solomon’s reign to the destruction and desolation of Jerusalem and the Temple by Nebuchadnezzar.

Ezekiel 4 provides some insight and confirmation for this number. In this chapter, Ezekiel is told to depict the years of the iniquity of the kingdoms of Israel and Judah.

Ezekiel 4:1 Thou also, son of man, take thee a tile, and lay it before thee, and pourtray upon it the city, even Jerusalem:2 And lay siege against it, and build a fort against it, and cast a mount against it; set the camp also against it, and set battering rams against it round about. 3 Moreover take thou unto thee an iron pan, and set it for a wall of iron between thee and the city: and set thy face against it, and it shall be besieged, and thou shalt lay siege against it. This shall be a sign to the house of Israel. 4 Lie thou also upon thy left side, and lay the iniquity of the house of Israel upon it: according to the number of the days that thou shalt lie upon it thou shalt bear their iniquity. 5 For I have laid upon thee the years of their iniquity, according to the number of the days, three hundred and ninety days: so shalt thou bear the iniquity of the house of Israel. 6 And when thou hast accomplished them, lie again on thy right side, and thou shalt bear the iniquity of the house of Judah forty days: I have appointed thee each day for a year. 7 Therefore thou shalt set thy face toward the siege of Jerusalem, and thine arm shall be uncovered, and thou shalt prophesy against it. 8 And, behold, I will lay bands upon thee, and thou shalt not turn thee from one side to another, till thou hast ended the days of thy siege.

From this passage we can see that Ezekiel is depicting the amount of time that ends with the siege of Jerusalem. This is the siege of Nebuchadnezzar that desolates and destroys the city and the Temple.

We should also take notice of the fact that Ezekiel is signifying a period of time in which the kingdoms of Israel and Judah are separated. Both kingdoms remained united under the 40 years of King Solomon’s reign (1 Kings 11:11-13) From this fact we learn that Ezekiel is not accounting for the time of Solomon’s reign. We should also note that the kingdom of Israel began to sin immediately after Solomon’s death. This was just after the kingdoms were split apart and Jeroboam became king over Israel (1 Kings 11:31, 12:20, 26-30.)

So, according to Ezekiel, Israel’s iniquity consumed a total of 390 years. These 390 years ended with Nebuchadnezzar’s desolation of the city and the Temple, but did not include Solomon’s 40-year reign. We can therefore derive a total number of years for the period from Solomon’s reign until the desolation of Jerusalem and the Temple by adding the 40 years of Solomon’s reign to the 390 years of the iniquity of Israel. When we do we can see that the total number of years for this period is 430 years.

This is very close to the total we arrived at by calculating the reigns of the kings of Judah. (That total was 433.5 years.) However, since Ezekiel’s total is given in a single passage and has the authority of a prophetic word from God, we will reckon the duration of this period to be 430 years. We can add the years of this period to our count of the total years of biblical world history.

We will again point out that the Babylonian desolation of Jerusalem and the Temple does not occur at a particularly round number of years after creation.

Total Years from Creation to the Flood
1656

Total Years from the Flood to the Birth of Abraham
352

Total Years from the Birth of Abraham to the Birth of Isaac
100

Total Years from the Birth of Isaac to the Exodus
400

Total Years from the Exodus to the Beginning of Solomon’s Reign
476

Total Years from the Beginning of Solomon’s Reign to the Desolation of Jerusalem and the Temple
430

Date of the Desolation of Jerusalem and the Temple
3414 AM


The Desolation of Jerusalem and the Temple to the Decree to Restore and Rebuild the City and Its Walls

As we begin this period of biblical world history it is important to point out that there are no biblical statements that inform us of the actual number of years occupied by this period. There are passages in scripture which mention various kings and rulers from this time or a particular year of their reign. However, the bible does not provide information regarding the exact order and number of these rulers, the exact duration of their respective reigns, or a total count of the years from the destruction of the Temple to a particular decree prophesied in the Book of Daniel.

In order to arrive at the amount of time between the beginning and end of this period, information provided in the biblical texts must be correlated to historical and chronological data provided in other ancient sources. Of course, this endeavor is not a recent or novel one. By comparing events and dates mentioned in the ancient documents, artifacts, and historical works, historians are able to construct a composite timeline of the events of the ancient world. The timeline of this period of biblical history is well known and well established part of this type of historical study.

We concluded the previous segment of world history with the desolation and destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple by the Babylonians. This event is conventionally dated to the year 586 BC.

Judaism - In 587/586 BCE the doom prophecies of Jeremiah and Ezekiel came true. Rebellious Jerusalem was reduced by Nebuchadrezzar, the Temple was burnt, and much of Judah's population dispersed or deported to Babylonia. - Encyclopedia Britannica

Diaspora - The first significant Jewish Diaspora was the result of the Babylonian Exile (q.v.) of 586 BC. After the Babylonians conquered the Kingdom of Judah, part of the Jewish population was deported into slavery. - Encyclopedia Britannica

Jerusalem - Jerusalem became the spiritual and political capital of the Hebrews. In 586 B.C. it fell to the Babylonians, and the Temple was destroyed. - The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001.

We have chosen to use a decree or commandment mentioned in Daniel 9:25 to mark the end of the next segment of biblical world history. Daniel 9:24-27 provides a prophetic timetable, which we will use in the next segment of our study. However, verse 25 indicates that the period of Daniel 9’s prophetic timetable begins with a command to rebuild and restore Jerusalem. This command entails the rebuilding of the city’s walls and streets in troublous times.

Daniel 9:24 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. 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, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. 26 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. 27 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.

The decree of Daniel 9:25 is commonly taken to refer to the construction conducted under the leadership of Ezra and Nehemiah and recorded in the biblical books that bare their names.

The Book of Ezra reports that in the seventh year of his reign King Artaxerxes of Persia issued a decree to Ezra authorizing him to beautify the rebuilt Temple and to do whatever Ezra felt was required by God. Verses 13 and 21 record that Artaxerxes himself specifically referred to this authorization as a decree. (Likewise, Ezra 8:36 refers to the authorization given to Ezra by Artaxerxes as “commissions.” This word means “law, edict, decree,” Strong’s 01881.)

Ezra 7:1 Now after these things, in the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra the son of Seraiah, the son of Azariah, the son of Hilkiah, 6 This Ezra went up from Babylon; and he was a ready scribe in the law of Moses, which the LORD God of Israel had given: and the king granted him all his request, according to the hand of the LORD his God upon him. 7 And there went up some of the children of Israel, and of the priests, and the Levites, and the singers, and the porters, and the Nethinims, unto Jerusalem, in the seventh year of Artaxerxes the king. 8 And he came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, which was in the seventh year of the king. 9 For upon the first day of the first month began he to go up from Babylon, and on the first day of the fifth month came he to Jerusalem, according to the good hand of his God upon him…12 Artaxerxes, king of kings, unto Ezra the priest, a scribe of the law of the God of heaven, perfect peace, and at such a time. 13 I make a decree (02942), that all they of the people of Israel, and of his priests and Levites, in my realm, which are minded of their own freewill to go up to Jerusalem, go with thee…18 And whatsoever shall seem good to thee, and to thy brethren, to do with the rest of the silver and the gold, that do after the will of your God…21 And I, even I Artaxerxes the king, do make a decree (02942), to all the treasurers which are beyond the river, that whatsoever Ezra the priest, the scribe of the law of the God of heaven, shall require of you, it be done speedily…

The following chapter of Ezra details the travels and names of the exiles who returned from Babylon to Jerusalem with Ezra (Ezra 8:1-32.)

After arriving in Jerusalem, Ezra assembles with the leadership and people of the Jerusalem (Ezra 9:1-4.) In Ezra 9:9, Ezra explains that the kings of Persia had given the Jews permission to rebuild the Temple and repair the desolation of the city of Jerusalem and its walls. These words clearly show that Ezra understood that Artaxerxes’ decree authorized the rebuilding of Jerusalem and its walls.

Ezra 9:9 For we were bondmen; yet our God hath not forsaken us in our bondage, but hath extended mercy unto us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to give us a reviving, to set up the house of our God, and to repair the desolations thereof, and to give us a wall in Judah and in Jerusalem.

These events are conventionally dated to the seventh year of the reign of Artaxerxes I in the year 458-457 BC.

Artaxerxes I - Artaxerxes I , d. 425 BC, king of ancient Persia (464-425 BC), of the dynasty of the Achaemenis. – Columbia Encycopedia

Nehemiah - a charter granted by the Persian king Artaxerxes I to Ezra scholar and priest of the Babylonian Exile empowered him to enforce the Torah as the imperial law for the Jews of the province Avar-nahra (Beyond the River), in which the district of Judah (now reduced to a small area) was located. - Encyclopedia Britannica

Judaism - Nonetheless, intermarriage occurred and precipitated a new crisis when, in 458, the priest Ezra arrived from Babylon, intent on enforcing the regimen of the Torah. - Encyclopedia Britannica

From this biblical and historical data we can identify Artaxerxes I’s decree to Ezra in 458-457 BC as the decree mentioned in Daniel 9:25. Since we know the beginning and end markers of this period, we can use the conventional dates assigned to these events to count the number of years between the desolation of Jerusalem by the Babylonians and the decree mentioned by Daniel. As we have seen, the desolation of Jerusalem by the Babylonians occurred in 586 BC. The decree mentioned in Daniel 9:25 should be identified as the decree that Artaxerxes I gave to Ezra in the seventh year of his reign. This was the year 458-457 BC. There were 128 years between these two events (586 – 458 = 128 years.)

Using these conventional dates, we can add 128 years to our timeline of biblical world history. We will again note that none of the major events of this period occur in significant or even years from creation.

Total Years from Creation to the Flood
1656

Total Years from the Flood to the Birth of Abraham
352

Total Years from the Birth of Abraham to the Birth of Isaac
100

Total Years from the Birth of Isaac to the Exodus
400

Total Years from the Exodus to the Beginning of Solomon’s Reign
476

Total Years from the Beginning of Solomon’s Reign to the Desolation of Jerusalem and the Temple
430

Total Years from the Desolation of Jerusalem and the Temple to the Decree to Restore and Rebuild the City and Its Walls
128

Date of the Decree to Restore and Rebuild Jerusalem and Its Walls
3542 AM



The Decree to Restore and Rebuild the City and Its Walls to the Death of the Messiah

We have calculated the amount of time prior to the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem and its walls. Daniel 9:25-26 provides a concise and direct statement of the amount of time between this decree and the death of the Messiah.

Daniel 9:24 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. 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, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. 26 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. 27 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.

According to Daniel’s prophetic timetable the Messiah would come after 69 weeks of years. That is a total of 483 years of time. After this period had expired the Messiah would be killed. So, in order to know the amount of time from creation to the coming and death of the Messiah, we must simply add Daniel’s 69 weeks of years (483 years) to the amount of time prior to this decree.

At this point we should take note of the fact that, as with other important events in biblical world history, the death of the Messiah does not seem to fall in any particularly round or significant distance from creation. This may seem strange to us. For it would be natural for us to expect that significant events like the birth, coming, and death of the Messiah should occur in precise and significant years after creation. However, as our study shows, there is little reason to conclude that any of the major figures or events of God’s redemptive plan occurred in even or significant numbers of years after creation.

These events include: Noah’s birth, the Flood, Abraham’s birth, Isaac’s birth, Abraham’s death, Moses’ birth, the Exodus, entrance into the Promised Land under Joshua, David’s coronation, Solomon’s coronation, the beginning or completion of the first Temple, the destruction of Jerusalem and the first Temple by the Babylonians, the return from Babylonian captivity, the completion of the second Temple, etc.

These biblical facts offset our natural inclination to expect Christ’s birth or death to fall in an even or significant number of years after creation.

In this portion of our study we have concluded Daniel 9’s first 69 weeks of years with the Messiah’s death. Jesus’ death is commonly dated to 30 AD.

Jesus Christ – Jesus of Nazareth (c. 5 BC/BCE – c. 30 AD/CE) – wikipedia.org

Jesus Christ – born c. 6–4 BC, Bethlehem; died c. AD 30, Jerusalem – Encyclopedia Britannica

Total Years from Creation to the Flood
1656

Total Years from the Flood to the Birth of Abraham
352

Total Years from the Birth of Abraham to the Birth of Isaac
100

Total Years from the Birth of Isaac to the Exodus
400

Total Years from the Exodus to the Beginning of Solomon’s Reign
476

Total Years from the Beginning of Solomon’s Reign to the Desolation of Jerusalem and the Temple
430

Total Years from the Desolation of Jerusalem and the Temple to the Decree to Restore and Rebuild the City and Its Walls
128

Total Years from the Decree to Restore and Rebuild the Jerusalem to the Coming and Death of the Messiah
483

Date of the Messiah’s Death
4025 AM



The Death of Christ to the Present

The amount of time from Christ’s death to the present can be calculated using the modern calendar. While the amount of time contained in our current historical calendar since the first century may not be exactly accurate, for purpose of maintaining simplicity, we will assume its relative precision for the purposes of concluding our count of biblical world history. To conclude then, we must add the number of years from Christ’s death to our present year on the modern calendar.

As we do we must keep a few things in mind. First, our modern calendar year has the birth of Christ as its designated starting point. However, we are not counting from Christ’s birth, but his death. So, we cannot simply add the current year on our calendars to the previous count of biblical world history. Instead, we must subtract any of the years occupied by Christ’s life, ministry, and death that occurred in the Common Era (CE or more commonly, AD, Anno Domini.)

Christ’s death is commonly dated to around the year 30 AD.

Jesus Christ – Jesus of Nazareth (c. 5 BC/BCE – c. 30 AD/CE) – wikipedia.org

Jesus Christ – born c. 6–4 BC, Bethlehem; died c. AD 30, Jerusalem – Encyclopedia Britannica

Jesus Christ – In c. ad 26, John the Baptist baptized Jesus in the River Jordan. Thereafter, Jesus began his own ministry, preaching to large numbers as he wandered throughout the country…In c. ad 29, Jesus and his disciples went to Jerusalem…A few days later, Jesus gathered his disciples to partake in the Last Supper. At this meal, he instituted the Eucharist. Before dawn the next day, Jesus was arrested by agents of the Hebrew authorities accompanied by Judas Iscariot, a disaffected disciple, and summarily tried for sedition by the Sanhedrin, who handed him over to the Roman procurator, Pontius Pilate. Roman soldiers crucified Jesus at Golgotha. After his death, his body was buried in a sealed rock tomb. Two days later, according to the gospel, he rose from the dead. Forty days after his resurrection, he is said to have ascended into heaven. – Columbia Encyclopedia

For the purposes of this study we will use the year 30 AD as the year of Christ’s death. This study is being written in the calendar year 2010 AD. If Christ died in 30 AD then we must subtract 30 years time from our current year 2010 AD because these 30 years have already been included in our previous segment of biblical world history (which ended with Christ’s death.) Therefore, using these figures, we would count 1980 years since the death of the Messiah (2010 – 30 = 1980.) These 1980 years should then be added to our total chronology of biblical world history.

Total Years from Creation to the Flood
1656

Total Years from the Flood to the Birth of Abraham
352

Total Years from the Birth of Abraham to the Birth of Isaac
100

Total Years from the Birth of Isaac to the Exodus
400

Total Years from the Exodus to the Beginning of Solomon’s Reign
476

Total Years from the Beginning of Solomon’s Reign to the Desolation of Jerusalem and the Temple
430

Total Years from the Desolation of Jerusalem and the Temple to the Decree to Restore and Rebuild the City and Its Walls
128

Total Years from the Decree to Restore and Rebuild the Jerusalem to the Coming and Death of the Messiah
483

Total Years from the Death of the Messiah to 2010 AD
1980

Equivalence of 2010 AD to Anno Mundi
6005 AM


At Least 7 Years Before Christ’s Return

Whatever the exact total number of years is from creation to the present, we must keep in mind that there are at least 7 more years to go. The prophetic timetable of Daniel 9 does not end with the coming and death of the Messiah. It does not end after the first 69 weeks of years. It distinctly places several events after the close of the first 69 weeks of years (483 years) including a final, seventieth week of 7 years. The events which come after the first 69 weeks include two separate periods of future desolations of Jerusalem and the Temple. These events are discussed in Daniel 9:26-27.

Daniel 9:24 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. 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, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. 26 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. 27 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.

Notice that the events of verse 26 take place after the conclusion of the first 69 weeks of years. From this we are informed that after the first 69 weeks, the city and the sanctuary will again be desolated. These actions are attributed to the people of a prince who, in Daniel’s time, was yet to come. From our other studies of Daniel, Revelation, and ancient history we have identified this prince as the angelic ruler over the Roman Empire. (See the article series in our End Times Prophecy – Eschatology Section of our website for further discussion.) The desolation of Jerusalem and the sanctuary mentioned in verse 26 are almost universally taken to refer to the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple by the Romans in 70 AD.

We have noted that verse 26’s desolation of Jerusalem and the Temple occurs after the first 69 weeks. From the prophecy we do not know exactly how long after the close of the first 69 weeks of years this desolation will occur. (From history we know that it was around 40 years later, in 70 AD.)

Second Temple - The Romans destroyed Jerusalem and its Temple in 70 CE under Titus. – wikipedia.org

After verse 26’s description of events following the first 69 weeks (483 years) of this prophecy, Daniel 9:27 speaks of the final week of this 70 week prophetic timetable. We have seen from verse 26 that at some point after the first 69 weeks of years concluded, the city and temple would again be desolated. In contrast to this, the beginning of the seventieth week is a period where God is confirming His covenant with His people. (For an exegesis of Daniel 9 please see the first section of our study on the Premillennial Temple.) Half way through this final 7-year period another desolation occurs and Temple activities are again ceased.

The fact that Temple activities are stopped half-way through this final week clearly indicates that Temple activities were occurring during the first half of the week. So we see that after the first 69 weeks the city and the Temple are desolated. But at the beginning of the seventieth week the Temple is intact and actively being used. This indicates a clear distinction between the events of verse 26 and the events of verse 27. Both verses discuss separate periods of time and separate desolations of the Temple.

As stated, the events following the first 483 years (described in verse 26) occurred near 70 AD when the Roman armies destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple. The events mentioned briefly in Daniel 9:27 are elaborated on later in Daniel 12 as well as in several New Testament passages (including Jesus’ Olivet Discourse.) From these passages we learn further details about this final week of years. Jesus and the rest of the New Testament writers as well as the first 200 years of early Christian writers all place this final 7-year period in the future preceding Christ’s return.

This final 7 years is the final segment of pre-millennial world history. In other words, Daniel 9’s seventieth week is the final 7 years before Christ’s return and the seventh millennium which will be occupied by Christ’s kingdom on earth.

As of 2010, we have not yet entered into this important period and so we cannot count it in our current total years of world history. However, we must keep in mind that since this final 7 year period has not yet begun, we must be at least 7 years away from Christ’s return. (And in all likelihood it seems like we are still years away from this final week.) So, whatever our count of biblical world history is, we still have at least 7 more years to go. And we do not know when this final 7 years will begin. It could be soon, but it could be decades away. We do not know for sure.



Conclusions on the Total Years of Biblical World History

As we conclude this study we want to review the purposes of our investigation.

In our related study we learned that biblical teaching indicated that the history of the world prior to the coming of the earthly Messianic Kingdom of Jesus Christ would contain 6 millennia (6,000 years) of pre-millennial history. In this study we have sought to demonstrate that a biblical and conventional timeline of world history reveals that there have been approximately 6,000 years of pre-millennial human history to the present year (that is, as of 2010.)

It is not our goal to present the figures of this study as dogmatic or absolutely correct. In our revised chronology study (which we are currently preparing to go online) we will discuss other considerations regarding the biblical timeline of world history. These considerations include several potential biblical and historical issues that may require adjustments to our total count of world history. We will briefly summarize these potential alternatives below.

Before we continue we will restate that our above calculations of biblical world history resulted in the current year (2010 AD) being equivalent to 6005 AM (Anno Mundi, from creation.)

This figure is similar to the more commonly known chronology of James Usher, which placed creation at the year 4004 BC. Usher’s calculation would indicate that the year 2010 AD is equivalent to the year 6014 AM.

Anno Mundi - James Ussher (1654) dated creation to 23 October 4004 BC according to the Julian calendar, which in the Gregorian calendar would be 21 September 4004 BC. – wikipedia.org

James Ussher – James Ussher (sometimes spelled Usher) (4 January 1581 – 21 March 1656) was Church of Ireland Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland between 1625–1656. He was a prolific scholar, who most famously published a chronology that purported to establish the time and date of the creation as the night preceding Sunday, 23 October 4004 BC, according to the proleptic Julian calendar. – wikipedia.org

It is not our intention to use these figures in order to calculate the exact year of Christ’s return. We do not believe the historical data available to us allows for such endeavors. Instead, we have simply attempted to tabulate the amount of world history that has occurred to date in as precise and reliable a manner as possible while remaining informed and taking into account variables and alternatives that may apply.

We would also like to note that many of us have been operating within the perspective that in all likelihood we had crossed the threshold of 6,000 years of biblical world history on or around the year 2,000. This may be the case, but it may, in fact, not be. If, we have not yet passed the 6,000-year point, a slight change in perspective may be warranted as we continue to look forward to the return of Jesus Christ to the earth to establish his Messianic Kingdom. We may not yet have passed the basic prophetic timetable (of 6,000 years of pre-millennial history). Instead, we may actually still be waiting for the 6,000th year to arrive.

Lastly, we would like to remember that, even if the six millennia is yet to expire, it is not necessarily the case that Christ will return after exactly 6,000 years of history. Several biblical and historical facts point to this possibility.

First, as we have seen none of major figures or events of God’s redemptive plan occurred in even or significant numbers of years after creation. Given these biblical details, we should not necessarily expect the Messianic Kingdom to arrive after exactly 6,000 years of history.

Second, as we covered in our Sabbath Millennium study, there are several biblical passages in both the Old and New Testament that seem to indicate that Christ’s return may occur in the beginning of the third millennia (after his first coming.) Such statements would direct us to expect that Christ’s return may not arrive exactly 6,000 years after creation. And such statements provide some reasonable indication that, although the coming of Christ would occur near the close of 6,000 years of history, it may not occur precisely at the end of the 6,000th year. Instead, scripture indicates that it is entirely possible that Christ might return a short space after the 6,000 years has already expired – perhaps a decade or more.

All of these reasons prevent us from being absolute or precise about how exactly many years of biblical world history have expired. Likewise, we are prevented from being exact about when Christ will return in relation to the current calendar year. And we are also prevented from being exact concerning when the sixth millennium will end and seventh millennium will begin.

What we can know with relative certainty is that there have been approximately 6,000 years of biblical world history to date.