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Year of Anointing
The prophesied 490-year
time period commenced with "the going forth of the command to restore
and build Jerusalem." Daniel 9:25
The culminating issuance of this phased-in decree was issued in "the fifth
month of the seventh year of king Artaxerxes" (Ezra
7:1-26), a date that has been well attested and verified by extensive
historical and archeological research as the late summer or early autumn
of 457 B.C.
According to Daniel 9:25, there would be "seven weeks and sixty-two weeks" (69 weeks total) between the issuing of the decree regarding the restoration of Jerusalem (457 B.C.) and the time when "Messiah the Prince" would come. And since each day in these prophetic weeks represents a literal year, then 483 years after 457 B.C. (69x7=483), which figures to 27 A.D., the long awaited and true "Messiah the Prince" was supposed to come. |
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What actually happened in the fall of 27 A.D., the time prophesied over 500 years earlier that the Messiah was supposed to come? This is where the story really starts getting exciting. The English term "Messiah" is from the Hebrew word, mashiach,
which means "anointed" or "anointed
one". So what happened in 27 A.D. relative to an "anointing"
of some kind that could be a fulfillment of Daniel's prophecy that 483
literal years after the decree to restore Jerusalem and the temple was
issued in 457 B.C., the Messiah, the "Anointed One" would come?
At this point the Biblical record becomes absolutely astounding. Because in its record of the entire life of Jesus, the Bible assigns a definite date to only one event in His life. All other events in His life, including the dates for His birth and death, have to be dated relative to the one event in His life that has been assigned a fixed date in the Biblical record. The event? His baptism! His baptism is dated to "the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontus Pilate being governor of Judea," the year chronologists identify as 27 A.D.! Luke 3:1,21 And why is this so significant? Because it was at Jesus' baptism in 27 A.D. that the Bible records "the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him," the very time "God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power" and He took up His ministry on earth, at the age of 30. Luke 3:21-23; Acts 10:38 In other words, Jesus became the Messiah, the One anointed by God with the Holy Spirit to bring salvation to the world, when He was baptized in 27 A.D., the very year predicted by Daniel over 500 years earlier! Thus, when Jesus came forth from His baptism and temptation, He announced: "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel." Mark 1:15 His announcement that "the time is fulfilled" is a clear reference to Daniel's prophecy concerning the year that the Messiah would be anointed and commence His mission on earth! Think of it! God knew that the claim that Jesus of Nazareth was much more than a mere man, that He was indeed the divine Savior of the world, would seem preposterous to the vast majority of people who would never have the privilege of knowing Him first hand, or seeing the miracles He worked, or observing the purity of His character, or seeing Him after He rose from the dead. So, 500 years before Jesus was even born God sent a prophecy to the prophet Daniel, pinpointing the very year when Jesus would be "anointed" with the Holy Spirit and take up His mission as "the Messiah" of all mankind. It's little wonder that Sir Isaac Newton would refer to the prophecy of Daniel 9:24-27 as "the Crown Jewel of the Old Testament" and "the foundation stone of the Christian religion." God has provided the evidence. Would you like to connect with Him right now?
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