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Ancient Empires
and Bible Prophecy


Ancient Empires
and Bible Prophecy

 

The Assyrian Empire

Assyria was founded by colonists from Babylon and for many centuries was subject to, or in conflict with, Babylon. Assyria was a world empire from c. 884 B.C. to the fall of Nineveh its capital in 612 B.C.

A number of Assyrian kings mention contact with Hebrew kings. Kings of Judah mentioned in records include Azariah, Ahaz and Hezekiah. Kings of Israel (northern ten tribes) mentioned include Omri, Ahab, Jehu, Menahem, Pekah and Hoshea. It was the Assyrian empire, under King Shalmaneser V, that in 723 B.C. conquered Israel's capital of Samaria and carried away as captives to Assyria what is commonly referred to as the "Lost Ten Tribes of Israel."

Date *
(B.C.)
 
King
 
Events
during Reign
 
Biblical
Reference
 
 
 
 
 
  
884 - 859
 
Ashurnasirpal
 
Warlike and cruel. Welded Assyria into the best fighting machine of the ancient world.
  
859 - 824
 
Shalmaneser III
 
First Assyrian king to come in conflict with Israel. Ahab fought him. Jehu paid tribute to him.
  
824 - 811
 
Shamsi-Adad V
    
811 - 783
 
Adad-nirari III
    
783 - 773
 
Shalmaneser IV
    
773 - 755
 
Assur-dayan III
    
755 - 745
 
Ashur-nirari V
(Assur-lush)
 
Decline
  
Date
(B.C.)
 
King
 
Events
during Reign
 
Biblical
Reference
 
 
 
 
745 - 727
 
Tiglath-pileser III
 
"Pul" was his personal name. Menahem, King of Israel, paid tribute money to him.
 
Isaiah 7; 2Kings 15:19-20; 1Chronicles 5:26
727 - 722
 
Shalmaneser V
 
King conquers Samaria, Israel's (Northern Ten Tribes of Israel) capital, in 723 B.C. The Israelites are taken out of the land of Palestine and transported to Assyria.
  
722 - 705
 
Sargon II
   
2Kings 17:5. Massive deportation of people who refuse to be good vassals.
705 - 681
 
Sennacherib
 
Most famous of Assyrian kings. Burned Babylon (2Chronicles 32)
 
Defeated by an angel before entering Jerusalem. (Isaiah 37:33-38)
681 - 669
 
Esarhaddon
 
Rebuilt Babylon. Conquered Egypt. Was one of the greatest of Assyrian kings.
 
Isaiah 37:38. Manasseh, King of Judah, paid tribute to Esarhaddon.
669 - 633
 
Ashurbanipal
(Osnapper)
 
Last great king of the empire. Collected a great library. Powerful, cruel, literary.
 
Nahum 3:8 mentions No-Amon, Thebes and the Nile. Ezra 4:10 refers to king as Asnappar. Manasseh, King of Judah, paid tribute to Ashurbanipal.
612
 
Fall of Nineveh
 
Assyrian empire comes to an end.
  
 

The Neo-Babylonian Empire

This was the Empire that broke the power of Assyria, and, in its westward sweep, destroyed Judah and conquered Egypt. The empire lasted from 612 B.C. to 536 B.C. Daniel's seventy year prophecy runs from the fall of Jerusalem to the rededication of worship in the Restoration Temple. Cyrus, king of Persia, conquered Babylon in 539 B.C. and in 538 B.C. he authorized the return of the Jews to their own land. First return was in 536 B.C.

The Empire's capital was in Babylon. In Isaiah's time Assyria was the dominant power of the world. Babylon was a dependency of Assyria. Babylon rose to world power status and then fell in 539 B.C. Isaiah sang of the Fall of Babylon one-hundred years BEFORE its rise in 612 B.C. (Isaiah 13:1, 13:19, 14:22). Babylon's splendor as the Queen city of the pre-Christian world, the "glory of kingdoms" and "the city of gold" (Isaiah 13:19, 14:4) was clearly envisioned. Babylon's fall is also pictured in detail, naming the unknown Medes as destroyers of Babylon. (Isaiah 13:17-19). Babylon was to supersede Assyria (Isaiah 14:25), Media shall supersede Babylon (Isaiah 13:17); and Babylon shall pass away forever (Isaiah 12:19-22, 14:22-23, Daniel 5:31).

The Persian Army took Babylon without a battle during the days of Nabonidas and his first son Belshazar.

Date *
(B.C.)
 
King
 
Events
during Reign
 
Biblical
Reference
 
 
 
 
625 - 605
 
Nabopolassar
 
Viceroy of Babylon, threw off the yoke of Assyria and established the independence of Babylon.
 
Destroyed Nineveh with Cyaxeres the Mede in 612 B.C. (Nahum, Isaiah 13-14).
605 - 562
 
Nebuchadnezzar
 
Greatest of all Babylonian Kings, he extends the power of Babylon over the then known world. Jerusalem falls at the hands of King Nebuchadnezzar in 597 B.C. He captures Judah's King Jehoiachin, who as prisoner, is taken to Babylon.

Nebuchadnezzar sets up Zedekiah as new King of Judah. The Jews, including the prophets Daniel and Ezekiel, are taken into captivity. King Zedekiah sits on the throne for eleven years before Nebuchadnezzar returns to destroy both the city of Jerusalem and its temple in 586 B.C.
 
2Kings 24-25 and book of Daniel. Daniel became one of chief advisers. His influence probably eased the lot of Jewish captives.
561 - 560
 
Evil-Merodach
(Amel-Marduk)
   
2Kings 25:27-30;
Jeremiah 52:31-34.
559 - 556
 
Nergal-shar-usur
(Nergalsharezer)
   
Jeremiah 39:3, 13.
555 - 539
 
Nabonidus
 
Babylon fell and world supremacy passed on to the Persians. The king probably lived in retirement outside of Babylon.
  
538 - 536
 
Belshazzar
 
Son of Nabonidus and co-regent with his father. He was in control of army and the government, and surrendered to Cyrus.
 
Saw God's handwriting on the wall during a feast (Daniel 5). Daniel had been in Babylon for 70 years and was third in command (Daniel 5:16, 29).
    
Babylon, oppressor of God's Old Testament people, gave its name to the Apostate Church.
 
Revelation 17
 

The Persian Empire

The Persian Empire, often called the Medo-Persian Empire, was the second great world empire represented in the dream of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. It was the LARGEST empire in ancient history in terms of total land controlled.

One of the first acts of the first Persian king, Cyrus, who was a "singularly noble and just monarch," was to authorize the return of the Jews to their own land. Persia was the mountainous plateau east of the lower end of the Euphrates-Tigris Valley and its empire extending eastward into India and reached westward to Greece. Its capitals were Persepolis and Susa, with its kings sometimes residing at Babylon.

Date *
(B.C.)
 
King
 
Events
during Reign
 
Biblical
Reference
 
 
 
 
559 - 530
Cyrus the Great
(Cyrus II or
Cyrus of Persia)
Considered first true king of the Persian empire. Conquered the Median Empire in 549 B.C. and the Babylonian empire in 539 B.C.
Cyrus issued decree to allow Jews to return to Jerusalem and conquered Babylon more than 150 years AFTER it was prophesied by Isaiah (Isaiah 44:28; 45:1; Ezra 1:1-4, 2; 2Chronicles 36:22-23).
536 - 534
 
Darius the Mede
(Probably Cyaxares II, Astiages, last king of the Medes)
 
Although not a King of the empire, Darius received the kingdom of Babylon as viceroy from Cyrus when he was 62 years old (Daniel 5:31).
 
Mentioned in Daniel 6:1, 9:1, 11:1. Cyrus is a nephew of Darius married to Darius daughter. Darius was probably a title. Daniel was 87 years old.
529 - 522
 
Cambyses II
 
Son of Cyrus the Great and second king of the empire. Conquered Egypt.
 
Ezra 4:7, 11, 23. It is thought to have been this king who stopped work on the Temple.
522
 
Pseudo-Smerdis
 
Magian usurper precipitated civil war
 
Ezra 4:7, 11
521 - 486
 
Darius I the Great (Hystaspes)
 
Third king of the Persian Empire. Put down Smerdis insurrection. Authorized completion of Temple. Made "Behistun" inscription.
 
Temple at Jerusalem resumes and it is completed in 515 B.C. (Ezra 6:15)
485 - 465
 
Xerxes I
(Ahasuerus)
 
Warred against Greece
 
Ahasuerus was Esther's husband
464 - 424
 
Artaxerxes I
(Longimanus)
 
Favorable to Jerusalem, authorized Nehemiah his cupbearer to rebuild Jerusalem.
 
Ezra returned in 458 B.C. with 1,754 Jews. Nehemiah was governor in 445 B.C. (Ezra 7:1,8; Nehemiah 2:1)
424
 
Xerxes II
   
Nehemiah 12:22
423 - 405
 
Darius II Nothius
(The Persian)
   
Nehemiah 12:22
404 - 359
 
Artaxerxes II
(Mnemon)
 Longest reigning of all the Persian kings.  
358 - 338
 
Artaxerxes III
(Ochus)
    
337 - 336
 
Artaxerxes IV Arses
    
336 - 330
 
Darius III (Codomannus).
Last King of Persia
 
Defeated by Alexander the Great, 331, at the famous battle of Arbela near the site of Nineveh.
 
Fall of Persia.
Rise of Greece.
Empire passed from Asia to Europe.
Original article by:  Bernie Monsalvo
edited and expanded by BibleStudy.org

Bible Study Maps

 
 
 
 
* Dates for kings of Assyria, Babylon and Persia taken from The Mysterious Numbers of the Hebrew Kings by Edwin R. Thiele.
 
 
   
 
 

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