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We first acknowledge God the Father and Jesus Christ, and thank them for preserving the Holy Bible—in spite of mankind’s tumultuous history— so that today God’s truth is available for everyone. It is the very Word of God that gives us the true understanding of the purpose of human existence. Jesus said, “Your Word is the truth” (John 17:17), and “you shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free” (John 8:32).
Primarily, I give my heartfelt gratitude and appreciation to my loving, dear wife, Dolores, for her personal encouragement and assistance. A special “thank you” goes to all the faithful brethren whose freewill tithes and offerings made this book possible. Through your spirit of giving, each of you have a special part in helping to preach and spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Special thanks and congratulations go to Carl Franklin for his vital content contribution. His countless hours of in-depth research into the histories and dynastic genealogies of the ancient Middle East (Persia and Babylon in particular) have been invaluable in understanding the writings of Daniel, Ezra and Nehemiah. Having dedicated a lifetime to studying Scripture and ancient history, Carl has successfully harmonized the histories of the kings of Babylon, Media and Persia with the biblical books of Ezra, Nehemiah and I and II Chronicles. His full, detailed analysis is contained in Appendix C. Because of his work, it is now possible to correctly understand the mysterious 70-week prophecy of Daniel nine as it relates to God’s “appointed times.”
Thanks also to Philip Neal for his editing, to Dwight Blevins for his research and writing in Appendix E, and to John and Hiedi Vogele for their proofreading and final formatting of the text. As with my other publications, many people have helped and shared in the production of this book. Their diligent work and support has made it possible.
Fred R. Coulter
February 2012
