Daniel 9:25 Know therefore and understand that from the going out of the word to restore and build Jerusalem to the coming of an anointed one, a prince, there shall be seven weeks. Then for sixty-two weeks it shall be built again with squares and moat, but in a troubled time.
The angel Gabriel continues with his revelation from God to the prophet Daniel.
Nehemiah 2:1a In the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was before him, I took up the wine and gave it to the king…
This is the date of the decree to rebuild Jerusalem. God’s clock starts on this date. Nehemiah is performing his duty as a cup bearer. Artaxerxes is drinking his wine…
In the month of Nisan… Dating the first part of the time stamp appears to be the easy part. Nisan is the first month on a Hebrew calendar. Nisan means “their flight”. Nehemiah 2:1 is the first time the month is called Nisan in the Bible. The month of Nisan is the beginning of the religious or spiritual year on a Hebrew calendar. The month of Nisan is synonymous with the constellation of the lamb in the Hebrew Mazzaroth.
Exodus 13:4 On this day in the month of Abib, you are about to go forth.
Moses referred to this month as Abib. Per Strong’s Concordance, Abib means: fresh, young barley ears; month of ear-forming, of greening of crop, of growing green; month of Exodus and Passover.
Exodus 12:1-2 Now the Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, “This month shall be the beginning of months for you; it is to be the first month of the year to you…”
This is when God proclaims His New Year. It is in the spring time when life emerges from winter.
Many commentators and scholars imply the date as the first of the month. Assuming the first of the month, Jews would have identified a new moon to signify the beginning of a new month. By definition, a new moon is proclaimed when the first little sliver emerges from a darkened moon. It is a tiny crescent that is noted briefly at sunset on the western horizon. The month begins at the sighting of the new moon. Jews have utilized the procedure every month for thousands of years. It is called Rosh Chodesh which means “head of the month”.
Thanks to math of Johannes Kepler and his laws of planetary motion and physics, we are able to calculate the movement of heavenly bodies. Kepler’s math allows us to map the exact location of the sun, moon, planets, and stars in time and space. The heavens are a finely tuned clock which can be run forward and backward. As a result, the dates can be confirmed.
Calculations start from Nisan 1. The ultimate question is the year.
