“Now Jesus Himself began His ministry at about thirty years of age”
(Luke 3:23, NKJV)
In the two last teaching we could clearly define, from both an historical and Scriptural basis, that the starting point of Daniel’s prophecy is Artaxerxes’ decree to Ezra in 457 BC. This is then, without a doubt, the time period which Dan 9:25 refers to as “the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem”. Now we can easily pinpoint the 434 years and the 49 years (which totals 483 years) and define what the last week is that led to the fulfilling of all righteousness (Matt 3:15), of which Jesus said, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” (Mark 1:15).
The first 49 years were used to rebuild the city and its wall. This occurred in the period between Artaxerxes’ decree to Ezra in 457 BC to 408 BC. According to Neh 13:23-31 Jerusalem was established as the heart of the Jewish nation during this time.
Then, when 434 years are added, we are taken from 408 BC to 27 BC (one year needs to be added when moving from BC to AC), when Jesus, according to the Scripture quoted at the beginning of this teaching, was “about thirty years of age” (according to the historian Josephus Jesus was born in 4 BC).
Jesus’ public ministry was however preceded by a very important event – his baptism. Luke 3:21-22 describes it as follows – “When … Jesus … was baptized; and while He prayed, the heaven was opened. And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, ‘You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.’”
This is the crux of the matter. Up to this point Jesus had presented himself as “Savior of the world” (1 John 4:14), and Jesus does, after all, mean Savior in Greek. Earlier Simon Peter had asked Him who He really was. This history is related in Matt 16:15-16 – “He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Simon Peter answered and said, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’” He is also, Christ, the Anointed One! Immediately Christ did this strange thing – “Then He commanded His disciples that they should tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ.” (verse 20).
Why not? Although He was called to be the Christ, it had not yet been prophetically fulfilled (see for example John 4:25-26), because his “time has not yet come”, as He states elsewhere (John 7:6&8). Only after his baptism with the Holy Spirit in 27 BC did Jesus became the Christ, the “Anointed One”, the “Prince” (Acts 3:15; 5:31 and Rev 1:5) – “Now listen! It will be forty-nine years plus 434 years from the time the command is given to rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One comes!” (LB).
Now we can understand verse 25 clearly – “There shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublesome times.” Verses 26 & 27 then predict – “And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself; and the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a flood, and till the end of the war desolations are determined. Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; but in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, even until the consummation, which is determined, is poured out on the desolate.” We need to understand to what these verses refer to. In the next teaching all the elements will be linked.
- Sela: Try to prophetically interpret Dan 9:26 and 27
- Read: Num 21; Dan 12; Ezek 13
- Memorize: Dan 12: 2-4 & 13
