How do Christians know unequivocally that Jesus was the Christ? How does the timing of Jesus’ ministry confirm His identity as the Messiah? The prophecies of the Messiah were intricately woven into the scriptures, the history of Israel, Jewish theology, and uniquely synchronized with temple worship. Yet the Pharisees refused to accept the man who perfectly fulfilled them.
Jesus was rejected by Israel and many Jews today still wait for their Messiah. Even in hindsight, “the time of God’s coming” remains unrecognizable to many (Luke 19:44b). Were the apostles wrong in their convictions regarding Jesus? Was Paul, who studied under the renowned Gamaliel and had a thorough understanding of the scriptures incorrect in his writings concerning the Christ?
Luke 24:13-32 records how Jesus, on the day of His resurrection opened the scriptures to the disciples and explained how they were fulfilled in Him. And Paul declares in Colossians 1:25-26, regarding the gospel, “I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness – the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints.”
SEVENTY ‘SEVENS’
The prophet Daniel predicted the timing of the Messiah’s arrival with great precision six hundred years before the arrival of Jesus Christ. In his prophecy of the seventy weeks (Daniel 9:24-27), he wrote, “Seventy ‘sevens’ are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy.”
There is a lot packed into this prediction. Each week represents seven years, therefore, 490 years are the total number of years implied. It is noteworthy that this comprehension of counting years in “sevens” is consistent with the Hebraic system of Sabbatical and Jubilee years.
Furthermore, the starting point is revealed in Daniel 9:25 as being the “issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem.” And the time until the “Anointed One,” is cut off or killed is predicted as “seven ‘sevens and sixty-two ‘sevens,” totaling sixty-nine weeks of years.
This means the commencement of the fulfillment occurred when King Artaxerxes granted Nehemiah permission to travel to Jerusalem and rebuild the city in 444 BC (https://www.partneredwithchrist.com/prophetic-precision/). The Hebrew year consisted of 360 days, therefore, 69 multiplied by 360 gives a total of 173,880 days. Today we equate years to 365 days, therefore, 173,880 days is rendered as 476 solar years.
By adding 476 years to 444 BC and including an additional year to compensate for the year zero which isn’t counted, the result is AD 33, the year that the “Anointed One” is cut off. This is not simply a coincidental alignment with the crucifixion of Jesus as further investigation reveals.
THE PASSOVER
The last supper that Jesus shared with His disciples the night before His crucifixion was the Passover. Luke 22:7-13 informs us that on the day of Unleavened Bread, the Passover was held. In the Hebrew calendar, the Passover was traditionally held on the fourteenth day of the month of Nissan (March/April), marking the beginning of the Hebrew year when the Israelites left Egypt.
For ancient Hebrews, each new month was announced by the blowing of the shofar (ram’s horn), which was determined by the appearance of the new moon. This means that the Passover was always held on a full moon. When Christ was crucified, darkness fell over all the land for three hours (Luke 23:44-46). This event was interpreted by some as a solar eclipse, however, a solar eclipse cannot occur during a full moon.
Corroboration for this fact is provided by Thallus, an early Greek historian, most of whose work has been lost, who was quoted by Sextus Julius Africanus in his History of the World. Around AD 52, he wrote about the earthquake and darkness that occurred when Christ was crucified. “On the whole world there pressed the most fearful darkness, and the rocks were torn by an earthquake and many places in Judea and other districts were thrown down. This darkness, Thallus, in the third book of his history, calls, as appears to me without reason, an eclipse of the sun.”
The timing of Jesus’ death is also demonstrably unique, leaving no doubt about the day or the hour. Caiaphas was the high priest who presided over the condemnation and crucifixion of Jesus. He served as high priest from AD 18 to AD 36. Additionally, John the Baptist’s ministry began under Pontius Pilate’s reign (AD 26- AD 36) and in the fifteenth year of Tiberius Caesar’s rule (AD 14 – AD 37), placing the crucifixion a minimum of three years after AD 29.
Jesus was crucified on a Friday, the day before the Sabbath. There were only two Fridays where the Passover occurred immediately prior to the Sabbath between AD 29 and AD 36. They are April 7, AD 30 and April 3, AD 33. Jesus’ earthly ministry spanned three Passovers, meaning AD 30 preceded His ministry, therefore, Jesus died on April 3, AD 33. The timing of His death is recorded as during the nineth hour, which translates to the official time of the death of Christ as approximately 3:00 PM, April 3, AD 33.
Daniel 9:26 indicates that after the “Anointed One” is cut off, the “people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary.” This was fulfilled in AD 70 when the Romans sacked Jerusalem and demolished the temple. This was also predicted by Jesus in Matthew 24:2. This is crucial to understanding that the Messiah could not possibly come after AD 70.
LAMB OF GOD
The temple and the Jewish sacrificial system are integral to Jesus’ sacrifice as the Lamb of God (John 1:29; Revelation 5:12), therefore it is nonsensical to believe the Messiah could come after AD 70. Furthermore, the prophecies that the Messiah would be an ancestor of King David (2 Samuel 7:12-16) necessitated a traceable lineage, which became virtually impossible after the Jewish diaspora.
The destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in AD 70 are instrumental in determining the timing of the Messiah’s arrival. The Old Testament system of sacrifice was a foreshadowing of the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus on the cross (Hebrews 9:11-14, 10:1-10). Without it, the Messianic prophecies don’t maintain integrity.
God’s promise to Abraham that all nations would be blessed through him came to fruition in the person of Jesus. Paul instructs us in Galatians 3:14, “He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.” Salvation has come to the entire world because of Jesus.
Today Christianity spans the globe and the gospel is being preached in every nation. The prophet Daniel wrote, “In my vision at night I looked and there before me was one like a Son of Man, coming on the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into His presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshipped Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and His kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.” (Daniel 7:13-14).
When Jesus stood before Caiaphas on the night He was betrayed, the high priest asked Him, “’Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?’ ‘I am, said Jesus. ‘And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.” (Mark 14:61b-62). This confession confirmed that Jesus identified Himself as the man in Daniel’s vision and brought forth the official charge of blasphemy that resulted in His crucifixion.
The precise fulfillment of biblical prophecy regarding the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ demonstrates a level of accuracy unequalled in any other religious writings. A Messiah arriving after AD 70 would contradict these predictions since the destruction of the temple and Jerusalem marked the end of the Old Covenant systems that Jesus replaced when He instituted the New Covenant (Hebrews 8:7-13). Understanding the synchronism between the ministry and crucifixion of Jesus, temple worship and the culture in first century Jerusalem is crucial to recognizing that the Messiah could not possibly be anyone other than Jesus of Nazareth.
Christians today have full confidence that Jesus is the Messiah. The only one in human history qualified to be the “unblemished Lamb” sacrificed to atone for sin, once – for all. His rejection by the Jews brought redemption to the entire world. His death on the cross, means salvation for humanity. His resurrection from the grave means we can have a relationship with Him now and forever.
Leave a Reply