END TIMES

Doing the Math

THE DAYS THE DATES THE MATH LINKS

The first sixty-nine weeks of Daniel's Seventy Weeks, the 483 years from the commandment to restore Jerusalem to the point where Messiah was cut off, have already taken place. Let's do the math to match that time period with two dates in history.

THE DAYS
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After all the discussion about Daniel's week being a week of years and not a week of days, it really does come down to a matter of days. Or, more specifically, how many days are in these years?

There are 365 days in the typical solar year and 366 days in the solar leap year. But these years are different. They are called “prophetic” years. There are 360 days in the prophetic year. The strongest proof of this comes from the book of Revelation and its various measurements of half of the Seventieth Week. In two verses the time period is noted as 42 months (Revelation 11:2, Revelation 13:5), and in two verses it is given as 1,260 days (Revelation 11:3, Revelation 12:6). (Depending on the scriptural interpretation, these time periods may be either the first or second half of the last week.) In a year of 360 days, each month has 30 days. And 42 months times 30 days equals 1,260 days.

So, in terms of prophetic years, the sixty-nine weeks can be calculated as 483 years times 360 days, or 173,880 days.

THE DATES
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There are two dates that need to be considered: the date that marks the beginning of the 483 year period, and the date that marks the end.

The “commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem” (Daniel 9:25) is recorded in Nehemiah 2:1-8. The king's commandment was given during the month of Nisan in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes (Nehemiah 2:1). Although there is some variance, historians generally place the twentieth year of Artaxerxes I of Persia at 446/445 BC. The Jewish month of Nisan is equivalent to March-April of the Gregorian calendar.

And when was Messiah “cut off” (Daniel 9:26) or crucified? Using external sources along with other verses in the Bible, a general range for the date can be derived. The ministry of John the Baptist began during the 15th year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar (Luke 3:1), which was about 28 AD. Christ's ministry began shortly after that, when he was about 30 years old (Luke 3:23). Both ministries took place when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judaea (AD 26 to 36). According to the book of John, Christ attended at least three Passover celebrations during his ministry (John 2:13, John 6:4, John 11:55), with his crucifixion taking place on the eve of the last one, on 14 Nisan (Exodus 12:5-6). The year was in the early 30's.

THE MATH
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Here are two dates that fit within the parameters described above.

The starting date could be April 4, 446 BC, equivalent to a day during the month of Nisan in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes, when the commandment was given to rebuild Jerusalem.
The ending date could be April 25, 31 AD, equivalent to Nisan 14, a Wednesday, a proposed date from the early 30's when Messiah was cut off or crucified.

Click CALCULATE below to confirm that the number of days between the two dates is 173,880 days (or 483 years times 360 days).

Doing the Math for Sixty-Nine Weeks
Starting Date (mm/dd/yyyy):
Ending Date (mm/dd/yyyy):

The day calculation is performed with a Javascript routine.

So are April 4, 446 BC and April 25, 31 AD the actual dates that bracket the first sixty-nine week period? It certainly seems as if they could be. At the very least, mathematical precision is required, and these two dates demonstrate how it can be achieved.

At any rate, you are welcome to enter any other dates you would like to test your own date selection hypothesis.

LINKS
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Seventy Weeks — A quick look at the amazing time puzzle in the book of Daniel.

Back to — Weeks, Years & Days — Different time measurements in Daniel.

Next up — Significance of Seventy — Why the Seventy Weeks are so important.

Days Between Dates — Details (and source) for the Day Calculation routine, written by Steve Evans.

Passover Dates 26-34 AD — Useful date analysis from what seems like an otherwise useless website.

Moon Calendar — Moon phase routine for any day between 3999 BC and 3999 AD, written by Paul Carlisle.