Reigned

Years From Creation:

Year BC

9

3473

538BC

Cyrus the Great reigned over Persia for 30 years, although I found some historians that suggested he reigned for 50 years. Cyrus united the Medes and the Persians, (both the Medes and the Persians are located in modern Iran today). Cyrus was King of Persia when the Persian troops entered Babylon and conquered it, killing Belshazzar King of Babylon.

Cyrus earned his place in biblical history as the King who released the Jews and allowed them to return to their home land, he also issued a decree allowing the Jews to rebuild the house of God (temple) in Jerusalem.

Ezra 1:1-4
“(v1) Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfil the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he sent a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying, (v2) ‘Thus says Cyrus king of Persia, “The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and He has appointed me to build Him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. (v3) Whoever there is among you of all His people, may his God be with him! Let him go up to Jerusalem which is in Jerusalem which is in Judah, and rebuild the house of the Lord, the God of Israel; He is the God who is in Jerusalem. (v4) And every survivor, at whatever place he may live, let the men of that place support him with silver and gold, with goods and cattle, together with a freewill offering for the house of God which is in Jerusalem.”’”

I was able to calculate how long Cyrus reigned as King over Babylon (note Cyrus was already King of Persia, and became King of Babylon at the fall of Babylon) by taking the historical date for the fall of Babylon, and subtracting the historical date of his death. The date of the fall of Babylon varies depending on the historian, so therefore does the date of Cyrus’s death. By taking the dates from one historian I was able to calculate the difference. Most historians date the fall of Babylon around 538BC, and the death of Cyrus around 529BC, subtracting one from the other will give us the number of years Cyrus reigned over Babylon. Thus, 538BC – 529BC = 9 years.

This would mean that Cyrus became King of Babylon 3473 years after creation (538BC), and ended his reign 9 years later 3482 years after creation.

Cyrus ended his reign over Babylon 3482 years after creation. 3482 529BC

Cyrus began his reign as King of Persia 30 years earlier. 3452 559BC

Cyrus was succeeded by his son Cambyses.

Name

Reigned

Years From Creation:

Year BC

8

3482

529BC

Cambyses succeeded his father Cyrus the Great, he is not mentioned in the Bible, but history records that he slowed or stopped the rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem. Work on the temple did not get underway again until Darius I.
 

3490

521BC

Name

Reigned

Years From Creation:

Year BC

3 Months

3490

521BC

Smerdis was the brother of Cambyses, but it appears that he was killed and an impostor took his place. This impostor was killed by Darius, who claimed he was an impostor called Gaumata and the real Smerdis was dead. (See an article by Jona Lendering, published at http://www.livius.org/sj-sn/smerdis/smerdis.htm.)

Some historians don’t even mention him as his reign was less than 1 year. The actual length of his reign seems to vary from 3 months to 9 months, but the most common figure quoted is around 3 months.

Some historians consider the 8 years assigned to Cambyses to include the 3 month reign of Smerdis therefore I have not added in any additional time for his reign as a King of Persia.
 

3490

521BC

Reigned

Years From Creation:

Year BC

36

3490

521BC

Darius succeeded Smerdis as King of Persia; he fought his way to the throne after Cambyses the son of Cyrus the great, died without leaving an heir. Darius’s father was the cousin of Cyrus the great.

Darius reissued the decree of Cyrus the great to allow the temple or house of God in Jerusalem to be rebuilt.
 

Ezra 6: 1-3
“(v1) Then King Darius issued a decree, and search was made in the archives, where the treasures were stored in Babylon. (v2) And in Ecbatana in the fortress, which is in the province of Media, a scroll was found and there was written in it as follows: Memorandum – (v3) ‘In the first year of king Cyrus, Cyrus the king issued a decree: ‘Concerning the house of God at Jerusalem, let the temple, the place where sacrifices are offered, be rebuilt and let its foundations be retained, its height being 60 cubits, and its width 60 cubits;”

Because Darius reissued the decree of Cyrus the Great, and enforced it, the temple in Jerusalem was completed in the sixth year of his reign as King of Persia.
 

Ezra 6:15
“And this temple was completed on the third day of the month Adar; it was the sixth year of the reign of king Darius.”
 

3495

516BC

3526

485BC

Darius was succeeded by his son Xerxes, who became know as Xerxes I.

Name

Reigned

Years From Creation:

Year BC

21

3526

485BC

Xerxes was the son of Darius the Great; he reigned 21 years on the throne of Persia, and is mentioned in Ezra 4:6 as Ahasuerus.
 

3547

464BC

Name

Reigned

Years From Creation:

Year BC

40

3547

464BC

Artaxerxes succeeded Xerxes as King of Persia; he is very significant to our timeline. The Bible gives us some important information about Artaxerxes that will enable us to calculate from his reign to the death of Christ.

The Bible tells us that Artaxerxes had a cupbearer named Nehemiah (Nehemiah 1:11), Nehemiah had heard a report from Jerusalem of how the occupants were under great distress as the city had no fortifications to defend it.
 

Nehemiah 1:3
“And they said to me, ‘The remnant there in the province who survived the captivity is in great distress and reproach, and the wall of Jerusalem is broken down and its gates are burned with fire.’”

Nehemiah was serving the King (Artaxerxes) his wine, but was so saddened by what he heard that the King noticed and asked him what was wrong. Nehemiah told the King of the report from Jerusalem.
 

Nehemiah 2:2-3
“(v2) So the king said to me, ‘Why is your face sad though you are not sick? This is nothing but sadness of heart.’ Then I was very much afraid. (v3) And I said to the king, ‘Let the king live forever. Why should my face not be sad when the city, the place of my fathers’ tombs, lies desolate and its gates have been consumed by fire?’”

Artaxerxes responded, “What do you request of me.” (Nehemiah 2:4). Nehemiah asked the King for time off to go and rebuild the city, Jerusalem the city of his fathers (Nehemiah (2:5)).

Nehemiah asked the King for letters to present to the respective governors, in order to organise and complete the rebuilding of Jerusalem.
 

Nehemiah 2:7-8
“(v7) And I said to the king, ‘If it please the king, let letters be given me for governors of the provinces beyond the river, that they may allow me to pass through until I come to Judah, (v8) and a letter to Asaph the keeper of the king’s forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the fortress which is by the temple, for the wall of the city, and for the house to which I will go.’ And the king granted them to me because the good hand of my God was on me.”

The story goes on to tells how Nehemiah travelled to Judah, then to Jerusalem, how he organised and began the building and the troubles and problems he encountered. But we are interested in two particular verses from the Bible. Nehemiah 2:7-8 records a very important event in world history: the King of Persia gave a letter or decree to rebuild the city of Jerusalem.

You may remember that Jerusalem was destroyed when Nebuchadnezzar’s captain of the guard burnt the city, the temple, the walls, and the houses of Jerusalem. Some years later after the Babylonian Empire had fallen to the armies of Persia, Cyrus the great King of Persia issues a decree to release the captives of Judah and allow them to rebuild the temple or house of God. Cyrus’s decree does not provide for the returning captives to rebuild the city walls or fortifications. Nehemiah manages to secure letters or decrees from King Artaxerxes the reigning King of Persia, that will allow him to do just that, rebuild the city gates and fortifications, making it safe for people to move back into the city limits and live their lives there.

Why is this important? This is very important, because over one hundred years earlier the angel Gabriel gave the prophet Daniel a prophecy that would begin with this decree. This decree would start a clock in heaven counting down to the most significant event in human history.

Daniel 9:25
“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.”

For now I am going to complete this chapter on the Kings of Persia, I will give more detail and information on Daniels ‘70 week prophecy’ in chapter 9 of this book.

We are told that when Nehemiah spoke to Artaxerxes King of Persia and secured the letter or decree to rebuild Jerusalem, Artaxerxes was in the twentieth year of his reign as King of Persia.

Artaxerxes came to the throne of Persia 3547 years after creation, or 464BC; he was in the twentieth year of his reign when he gave Nehemiah the letters authorising the governors in Judah to allow him access to the forests and any building materials he would need.
 

Nehemiah 2:1
“And it came about in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of king Artaxerxes, that wine was before him, and I took up the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had not been sad in his presence.”

King Artaxerxes was in the twentieth year of his reign; he had completed 19 years and was part way through the twentieth year.

Thus, 3547 years after creation + 19 years = 3566 years after creation.
 

3566

445BC

3586

425BC

Name

Reigned

Years From Creation:

Year BC

1

3586

425BC

Xerxes succeeded Artaxerxes, and reigned as King of Persia for 1 year.
 

3587

424BC

Name

Reigned

Years From Creation:

Year BC

19

3587

424BC

Darius succeeded Xerxes II, and reigned 19 years as King of Persia.

3606

405BC

Name

Reigned

Years From Creation:

Year BC

45

3606

405BC

Artaxerxes II succeeded Darius II, and reigned 45 years as King of Persia.

3651

360BC

Name

Reigned

Years From Creation:

Year BC

21

3651

360BC

Artaxerxes III succeeded Artaxerxes II, and reigned 21 years as King of Persia.
 

3672

339BC

Name

Reigned

Years From Creation:

Year BC

2

3672

339BC

Arses succeeded Artaxerxes III, and reigned 2 years as King of Persia.
 

3674

337BC

Name

Reigned

Years From Creation:

Year BC

6

3674

337BC

Darius III succeeded Arses, and reigned 6 years as King of Persia.
 

3680

331BC

Name

Reigned

Years From Creation:

Year BC

8

3680

331BC

Alexander III (Alexander the Great) invaded and conquered the Persian Empire, thus completing the second part of King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, the statue with the head of gold and breast of silver, see Daniel 2:32.

Alexander was around 20 years old when he became King of Macedonia, history records he died from a serve illness around 323BC. Note: Alexander the Great reigned 8 years as King of Macedonia after Darius III is killed; he reigned 5 years as King of Macedonia before conquering Persia, giving him a total of 13 years as King of Macedonia, as he was born around 356BC.

When Alexander the Great died he left no heir to succeed him. Without a clear single figurehead or leader to unite the Empire, it began to fragment and divide into provinces ruled by governors, or kings. Provinces such as Macedon, Greece, Pergamus, Bithynia, Pontus, Cappadocia, Syria, and Egypt began to emerge.

Within 200 years the Roman Empire would begin to emerge, the fragments of the Macedonian Empire were conquered one by one merging back into a growing Empire that would leave its mark on the world, perhaps more so than any Empire that has ruled before it.

Macedonia today, is located between Greece and Albania.
 

3688

323BC