Timeline of Relevant Events

721 BC: Israel’s northern Kingdom invaded and Israel (all but Benjamin and Judah) were deported.

701 BC: Assyria under Sennacherib invades Judah (southern kingdom) during Hezekiah’s reign, but fails to take Jerusalem (2 Kings 18-19; 2 Chronicles 32:1-23; Isaiah 9:1).

612 BC: Assyria is overthrown and its capital city Nineveh falls as prophesied by Nahum. Babylon becomes the new prominent empire in the Middle East.

606 BC: Babylon’s King Nebuchadnezzar invades Jerusalem and takes many Jews captive.

597 BC: Nebuchadnezzar pillages Jerusalem and the temple and takes about 10,000 Israelis as prisoners to Babylon.

586 BC: Jerusalem is invaded again by Nebuchadnezzar and the temple is destroyed He takes even more captives to Babylon. The Diaspora, or the scattering of God’s people, begins (Deuteronomy 28:41, 49, 64; Jereremiah 25:9, 12; 22:7; 27:6; 43:10; Habakkuk. 1:5-7).

539 BC: The Babylonian empire is overthrown by the Persians under King Cyrus.

536 BC: Jews return to Jerusalem by the permission of King Cyrus. Zerubbabel leads 50,000 Jews from Babylon back to Jerusalem to build a new temple (2 Chronicles 36:22; Isaiah 44:24-45:4).

520-516 BC: The temple was completed under the prophetic ministry of Haggai and Zechariah.

175–165 BC: The Syrian leader Antiochus Epiphanes gains control over Jerusalem. The Jews gain independence from his oppressive rule in 167 AD, culminating in being recognized as a kingdom by the Roman senate in 139 AD. Israel remains independent for 100 years until coming directly under Roman rule in 37 BC.

171 BC: Antiocus begins his persecution in earnest, 2,300 days before the cleansing of the temple.

168-165 BC: The Maccabean tribulation.

December 25, 165 BC:  The temple is purified after being desecrated by Antiocus Epiphanes.

June 2BC: The probable date of the birth of Christ, based on the study of the star of Bethlehem, incorporating astronomicall and historical data.

April 3rd, 33AD: Most probable date of the crucifixion.  Recorded in history are a lunar eclipse and an unusual, unexplained darkening of the sun recorded in history.

66AD: Cestius Gallus surrounds Jerusalem, but unexplicably retreats back to the Mediteranian.  The Jews pursue the Romans and inflict heavy losses, emboldening the rebellion of the Jews.  The Christians, taking the warning of Jesus, flee the city to the place prepared for them, the city of Pella (Luke 21:20-21; Revelation 12:6).

66-70 AD: A three and a half year siege of Jerusalem took place by the Romans.  The suffering inflicted on those in the city was tremendous.  Rebel leaders burned the food supply to make the Israelites fight the Romans, and the suffering exceeded anything experienced, before or since.  People who tried to escape were executed.  Some say 500 people a day were crucified outside the city, between the city and siege walls.

June 9th, 68:  Facing assassination, Emperor Nero committed suicide by a self-inflicted wound to the neck (head wound).  Vespasian would follow him, after a period of unrest with three other emperors, and his Vespasian’s son, Titus, would lead the assault to overthrow Jerusalem.

70 AD: Rome burned Jerusalem and the temple as Jesus prophesied (Matthew 24; Mark 13; Luke 21).

73 AD: Masada fell.

132-135 AD: The Second Jewish Revolt.

135 AD: The resistance in Betar was crushed by the Romans, the the leader, Simon Bar Kochba, killed.  This is to be viewed as the great winepress of God’s wrath.  Betar is located just outside of the City of Jerusalem.

135 AD: Jerusalem was utterly destroyed by Rome under Hadrian. 580,000 Jews were killed and they were banned from returning to the city.

250-271 AD: The Crisis of the Third Century.  Involved the Cyprian plague (something like measles or smallpox), famine, drought, 25 emperors in a short period of time, as well as invasions by the Goths in battles such as the Battle of Abritus in 251, one of the worst defeats the Romans had seen after the Goths crossed the Danube.  By the year 271AD, the Roman empire had split into three warring states.

306 AD: Constantine made emperor.

October 29, 312AD: Constantine enters Rome bearing the sign of the cross on his army, after apparently receiving a vision or dream saying “In Hoc Signo Vinces”, “in this sign, you will conquer” after defeating rival Maxentius.

February 313 AD: Edict of Milan issued by Constantine which legalized Christianity throughout the entire Roman empire.

325 AD: First Council of Niceacalled by Constantine.  Nicean Creed was adopted by Christians.

September 4, 476 AD: Last Roman Emperor, Romulus Augustus, was deposed.

1371 AD: Wickliff made advances for the truth of the Gospel, and encountered persecution in from the church.  He advanced the eucharist was not the literal body of Jesus, that Rome was not the head of every church, the Pope had no more keys than the rest of us, among other differences.

July 6, 1415:  John Huss burned at Constance for the truth of the Gospel.

1522 AD: Martin Luther posts his 95 theses.

1940s: 6 million Jews are killed by the Nazis.

1948: Israel is re-established as a nation as an act of the United Nations.  Harold S Truman cast a deciding vote to see a “nation born in a day” (Isaiah 66:8).

1967: Jerusalem is recaptured by Israel during the Six-Day War.