Biblical Chronology: The Kings and Beyond part 1

Now we are at a point where we need to make some choices.  We have some scriptures in the prophets which seem to be giving us some chronological information.  We also have archaeological research giving us some relatively firm dates for events contained in the Bible.  Lets take a look at both.

First the scriptures (please read these for yourself):
Ezekiel 4:1-7
Ezekiel is instructed to illustrate the iniquity of Israel and Judah:

• by laying on his left side for 390 days...to illustrate 390 years of iniquity for Israel. amd
• by laying on his right side for 40 days...to illustrate 40 years of iniquity for Judah.

We know that Ezekiel was taken to Babylon in the second exile, with King Jehoiachin.  This instruction is given during the 5th year of Jehoiachin's exile.

Jeremiah 25:12
After 70 years, God will punish Babylon.

Jeremiah 29:10
When 70 years are completed for Babylon, God will bring the exiles back to Jerusalem.

2 Chronicles 36:20-33
From the exile to the return is 70 years...to fulfill all the Sabbath years not kept.
In the 1st year of Cyrus (Persian)...he issues a decree allowing the Jews to return and rebuild.

Daniel 9:1, 24-27
In the 1st year of Darius (Mede), and after reading the prophecies of Jeremiah concerning the completion of the desolation for Jerusalem, Daniel prays about the future of the Jews.  Gabriel is sent to him with a revelation.

• Seventy sevens are decreed for the Jews and Jerusalem to accomplish 6 things.
• From the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah will be 7 sevens and 62 sevens.
• After this time, Messiah will be cut off and the city and sanctuary will be destroyed.
• He (who?) will make a covenant for one seven but in the middle of the seven he will put a stop to sacrifices, then comes abominations, desolation, and destruction for the one who makes the desolation.

It is generally understood that a "seven" is seven years.  So we are talking about 7x7 years=49 years, and 7x62 years=434 years, for a total of 483 years.  It appears that there is one following seven, for 7 more years.

I have to admit that interpreting these passages is extremely difficult.  It may even be that God does not have a chronology in mind for these times.  If He does, then they are definitely hard to understand! 

Studying what Bible commentators have to say just increases the confusion.  I have found nearly as many interpretations as I have found commentators. And I ended up with more questions about these passages than have been answered.

Regardless of that, the time frame that these many commentators are looking at based on these passages is pretty much the same as the generally accepted dates BC that we will look at next.