The rebuilding of the temple started with Cyrus the Great but was completed under the reign of Darius I. This is recorded on the Bible Timeline Chart with World History about 500 BC.
After the fall of Babylon to the Achaemenid king Cyrus the Great in 539 BC, the exiled Jews were absorbed into the vast Persian empire. Since the fall of Judah and their captivity in Babylon, the Jews had been looking forward to their liberation. It seemed that they looked on Cyrus the Great as the liberator they had been promised in Isaiah 45.
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Cyrus allowed the exiles to return to Judah and build a temple for God in Jerusalem by issuing a decree. Nearly 50,000 Jews traveled from Babylon to Jerusalem (Ezra 2:64). They brought with them silver and gold, as well as other important articles from Solomon’s temple that were looted by Nebuchadnezzar. These were entrusted to the care of Sheshbazzar (Zerubbabel) and were carried to Jerusalem.
Rebuilding the temple was not an easy task after their arrival in Jerusalem, and they faced opposition from people who were resettled there by King Esarhaddon of Assyria (Ezra 4:1-5). The construction work stopped because of strong opposition from the locals, and it was not until Darius I became king of the Persian empire when the rebuilding of the temple resumed.
Tattenai, governor of Trans-Euphrates, sent a letter to Darius to stir trouble for the temple builders. He asked the king to investigate if Cyrus indeed issued a decree for rebuilding the temple during the first year of his reign. Tattenai’s plot to discourage the Jews backfired when Darius found a scroll of Cyrus’ decree in the citadel of Ecbatana in Media which allowed the exiles to return and rebuild the temple. In addition, Tattenai received additional instruction from Darius to help the Jews rebuild their Temple by paying for the construction cost. Anyone who changed the edict would be punished severely according to the edict of Darius (Ezra 5:1-17 and 6:1-12).
Tattenai and the people who banded with him stopped opposing the builders after the second decree by Darius I was issued. The temple was finished and blessed in 516 BC with a lavish celebration. The celebration of the Passover was revived shortly after the temple was rebuilt (Ezra 6:13-22).
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I wish you would have included the breakdown of the 490 years. You have it beginning at the wrong year to start with. For some reason God separated the first 49 years. I presume to rebuild Israel? I don’t see anywhere that confirms this though, and I know God never does anything for no reason. The 4 weeks, the 62 weeks and the final week are separated for a reason. You also don’t mention that the final year was Saul’s conversion to Christianity ending the exclusive Hebrew priesthood which according to Ussher seems to be the end of the 490 years.
The second decree to rebuild was 457 BC (Ezra 7) so 49 + 434 years is 483 years which is the year Jesus began His public ministry. The clock stopped and 7 years are left which will begin when the Anti Christ makes a covenant marking the 7 year Great Tribulation = 490 years then Jesus returns again to set up His 1000 year reign.
Where does the Bible say the clock stopped?
It reserves one week, declares that 2300 “days” or years are decreed for the trampling under foot of the temple mount, then Antichrist pops in for that 7 years. But notice, Jesus had only 3-1/2 years of ministry before being cut off, new temple, new deal broken after another 3-1/2 years under antichrist…but we are not as close to that as people might thing, 200 more years possibly according to Daniel 8:13-14
Exactly.
So when does the 2300 days/years begin?
Its not 7 years that has been stopped, its been 3.5 years that still remain to resume. As Jesus was cut off in the midst of the 69th week (3.5 years) and because the Jews rejected Jesus (the night of his trial) the clocked stopped there and salvation went to the gentiles, and when the transgression of the Gentiles has come to its fullness, then the antichrist will come and stand in the Temple and proclaim himself God and that is when the 3.5 years of the remaining 7 resume. For he will have 42 months to rule and 1260 days (42 months of persecution and prophesying) then 30 days of 7 plagues poured out onto beast.
Actually the Bible does not say those exact words, “clock stopped”. However when you study Jewish prophecy and their history we see that at the completion the 483rd year when Christ came into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey, you will find that there is 7 more Jewish prophetic years to fulfill all of Daniels 490 Jewish prophetic years. So yes, the clock has been stopped for 1990 years and will pick back up when the anti-christ signs a 7 year peace accord with Israel (Dan. 9:27).
Paul WAS a Hebrew. DUH. Rome set up the people THEY wanted as priests to advance their political agenda in Israel. Then there were no more priests at all since 70 AD. But in Christian terms, we now have ONE eternal High Priest, Jesus Messiah the Prince
it is seven weeks, 62 weeks, and one week
With 2300 days in between the 62 weeks and the last week…That puts the trib at about 2330 plus or minus 100 years since no one even agrees on the year of the decree by 50 to 100 years…sic
Ezra 2:69 mentions the daric coin introduced by Darius I, which puts the Cyrus of Ezra 1:1 in the era of Cyrus the Great’s grandson and probable namesake Xerxes.
According to the Elephantine papyri the high priest Johanan of Ezra 10:6 lived during the reign of Darius II, which suggests he is the Darius of Ezra 6:1.