Prophecy – God’s Signature on His Word

Today we are presented with a plethora of different religious belief structures along with their related gods. Each belief purports to be the one true religion, and to define the one true god(s). Whether it be Muslim, Buddhism, Mormonism, New Age, Christianity, or any of the other religions of the world, each one professes to be uniquely the one true possessor of divine knowledge. Within each of these world religions, there exists those people who are considered prophets of God, that is, people whom with God has spoken to directly in some form or fashion. The supposed divine messages received from their gods by these prophets are written down and recorded by the prophets, and then the followers of each religion look to these writings as the foundation of their belief. Before we go on, it is imperative to understand that each of the world religions is exclusive of the others in that each has teachings that contradict and are opposed to the others. In particular, each one defines a significantly different god. I say this so as to discard the notion that all religions are basically the same, and that they are really talking about the same god. This is far from the truth. By researching any several of the world’s religious systems, one will quickly come to the conclusion that each one is unique unto itself and exclusive of the others. One, and only one, of the world’s religious systems can be correct, and point to the true God of the universe, which then means that all the rest are false religions, and point to false gods. Now, for someone who sincerely desires to know God and His teachings, how do they determine which of the religions that exist in this world is the one true religion? There are probably various ways to attempt to accomplish this task, but I believe there is one way to absolutely, and beyond any doubt, determine which belief and which god is true, and that way is through prophecy, that is, the foretelling of future events to come. Let me explain. When one person writes a letter to someone else, how do they identify to the recipient that the letter is from them? They identify the letter as coming from themselves by adding their signature to the letter. Or, when legal documents are drawn up, how do the parties involved signify to others that may read the documents that they agree with the terms and conditions within the document, that is, that the words within the document convey the true intentions of the parties involved? Again, this is accomplished by having all the parties sign the document. In both cases, the unique signatures of the creators of the documents are the source of validation for the documents. Let us now look to the religious belief structures of the world with their related foundational divine inspired writings. Each set of these religious writings professes to be words inspired by God. But, as previously discussed, since each set of religious writings contradicts all the others in their beliefs and description of God, then only one can be true, and the rest, by default, must be false. So, which one is true? Luckily for us, there is a clear and easy answer to this question. This answer can be found through the fact that there is only one religious book that God actually signed as His. That book is the Bible, and God’s signature on that book is the prophecy contained within. The Bible is the only religious writing that contains prophecy, and not just several prophecies, but literally hundreds of prophecies. Furthermore, as would be expected with writings inspired by God, the prophecies contained within the Bible have proven to be 100% accurate—not even one miss. No other religious book in the world has such a signature from God. o understand and appreciate the validity and certainty of God’s signature upon the Bible, let us take a look at a small selection of the hundreds of prophecies in the Bible that have come to pass. For discussion purposes, I have broken up the prophecies into two sections: - Prophecies relating to historical events - Prophecies relating to the coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ As will be seen, the prophecies are very specific, and their fulfillments are indisputable. PROPHESIES RELATING TO HISTORIC EVENTS The following is a selection of prophecies contained in the Bible that prophesy, or foretell, of future events to come. It should be noted that each of the prophecies listed have very precise fulfillments in recorded secular history. Prophecy – The Destruction Of The City Of Tyre ​ The Lord prophecies through the prophet Ezekiel (Chapters 26-28) that the city of Tyre will be destroyed, “…Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: ‘Behold, I am against you, O Tyre, and will cause many nations to come up against you, as the sea causes its waves to come up. And they shall destroy the walls of Tyre and break down her towers; I will also scrape her dust from her, and make her like the top of a rock. It shall be a place for spreading nets in the midst of the sea, for I have spoken,’ says the Lord GOD; ‘it shall become plunder for the nations….They will plunder your riches and pillage your merchandise; they will break down your walls and destroy your pleasant houses; they will lay your stones, your timber, and your soil in the midst of the water. I will put an end to the sound of your songs, and the sound of your harps shall be heard no more. I will make you like the top of a rock; you shall be a place for spreading nets, and you shall never be rebuilt, for I the LORD have spoken,’ says the Lord GOD.” (NKJ: Ezekiel 26:3-5,12-14) The book of Ezekiel was written approximately 590 to 570 B.C. Fulfillment This prophecy was fulfilled historically in two phases by Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and Alexander the Great of Greece. The city of Tyre was both a coastal city and an island city. Nebuchadnezzar attacked the coastal city of Tyre, and, after thirteen years, was successful in conquering this city. But many people escaped to the island city of Tyre located about one-half mile off the coast. They well fortified the island city, and Nebuchadnezzar, after conquering the coastal city, did not extend his attack to the island city. The island city of Tyre survived for another approximately 240 years while its coastal city lie in ruin. Then Alexander the Great, with his armies moving across that region, decided to attack the rebel island of Tyre, not wanting to leave them intact and at his back as he moved down the coast towards Egypt. He came upon the idea of building a causeway from the shore out to the island to allow his troops to attack the fortified city. His soldiers pushed the ruins of what had been the coastal city of Tyre into the sea creating a sea bridge out to the island city of Tyre. In addition, Alexander organized a fleet of ships from several conquered nations to assist in the attack. Three years later, Alexander had conquered and laid ruin the island city of Tyre. To this day, the city has not been rebuilt, and local fisherman spread their nets on the flat rocky area previously built by Alexander’s soldiers. Thus, all the ruins, including even the soil, was cast into the sea to build the causeway. Babylon and Greece (along with a fleet of ships made up of other conquered nations) laid siege to the island city of Tyre and pillaged all her treasures, and finally fishermen today spread their nets on the rocks of the causeway. Thus, the prophecy was completely fulfilled in every respect. Also note that the time period between the writing of Ezekiel’s prophecy (~590 to 570 B.C.) and Alexander’s attack of the coastal city of Tyre (~330 B.C.) was approximately 240 to 260 years. Prophecy – Jerusalem To Become A World Focal Point And Divinely Protected God, speaking through the prophet Zechariah, says, “And it shall happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples; all who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces, though all nations of the earth are gathered against it.” (NKJ: Zechariah 12:3) The book of Zechariah was written approximately 480 – 470 B.C. Fulfillment One need only open a newspaper to realize the preciseness of this prophecy. At the time of this writing, Israel was a city with no natural harbor or resources, a city of no major worldly importance, and a city that possessed no attributes that would ever enable it to grow into any type of prominence. But today, Israel, and more specifically Jerusalem, is perceived as the major stumbling block to world peace. It would appear that every nation’s government has their eye focused on Israel, and is attempting to determine how to handle the tension between Israel and the Muslim Middle-Eastern nations. This little piece of dirt called Israel, which can actually fit in the California county of San Bernardino, has the entire world wondering how to resolve the issue of peace in the Middle East. Who, back in the days of the writing of Zechariah, would have imagined that Israel would create such a stir for the entire world? Only one who truly knew the future would have made such a prophetic statement. Israel became a nation again in 1948, over 2,400 years after this prophecy was made. Prophecy – The Temple To Be Completely Destroyed With Every Stone Moved Out Of Its Place “Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said to them, ‘Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.’” (NKJ: Matthew 24:1) This prophecy was made approximately 32 A.D. Fulfillment In the year 70 AD, around 40 years after Jesus’ prophetic statement above, the Roman General Titus Flavius Vespasianus, due to rebellious activity in the region, laid siege to the city. During the siege, some buildings, including the Temple, caught on fire. After the fires subsided, the soldiers noted that because of the fire, a significant amount of gold located in the Temple had melted and leaked between the crevices of the foundational stones of the temple. To retrieve all the gold, the soldiers were ordered to take apart the Temple, stone by stone. Not a stone of the Temple was left in place. The unbelievable prophecy that, “not one stone shall be left here upon another” was precisely fulfilled. Who would have thought that such a magnificent structure would be so completely and utterly destroyed? Prophecy – Media/Persia And Greece To Become Successive Ruling Empires In Europe An angel of God interprets for the prophet Daniel a divine vision that was received by Daniel in a dream regarding future kingdoms to come, “The ram which you saw, having the two horns—they are the kings of Media and Persia. And the male goat is the kingdom of Greece. The large horn that is between its eyes is the first king. As for the broken horn and the four that stood up in its place, four kingdoms shall arise out of that nation, but not with its power.” (NKJ: Daniel 8:20-22) The book of Daniel was written approximately 535 to 530 B.C. Fulfillment The prophet Daniel had been given a vision, and the above passage is an excerpt of the interpretation of the vision that was given to him by an angel. At the time of the vision, Babylon was the ruling empire. This vision was prophesying the next two nations that would rule in Europe, that being the Media/Persia empire followed by the Greek empire. At the time of the prophecy, Media/Persia was battling for dominance, but Greece was just a little known state that would not come to prominence for several hundred years. Furthermore, the prophecy foretells that there will be a first ruling king in Greece, once it has become the ruling empire, and that after this king’s death, the kingdom of Greece would be divided into four kingdoms. This is historically exactly what happened. Alexander the Great brought Greece to its pinnacle of power by the end of his short reign by conquering more territory in a relatively short period of time than any other ruler. When he died, his kingdom was divided between four of his generals, as indicated by the four horns: Cassander was given Macedonia and Greece; Lysimachus was given Thrace, Bithynia, and most of Asia Minor; Seleucus was given Syria and the area east of Syria, including Babylon; Ptolemy was given Egypt and probably Palestine and Arabia Petrea. Thus, four kings did rise out of the nation, but not with its previous power for now instead of one ruling king over the entire empire, there were four weaker kings with only partial control. Prophecy – 400 Years Of History Precisely Foretold In the book of Daniel, we are given one of the most detailed prophetical histories found in the Bible. Chapter 11 in the book of Daniel is so precise in chronicling what was at the time of its writing future history that modern liberal scholars, who deny the divine inspiration of Scriptures, insist that the book must have been written several hundred years later than it was purported to have been written, even though the dating of the writing has been authenticated many times. The book of Daniel, written by the prophet Daniel, would have been completed sometime around 535 to 530 B.C. In the following passage from the book of Daniel, for which we are about to review, we will find that the prophet Daniel covers approximately 400 years of what was future history from the time of the completion of his book. The following prophecy comes from the book of Daniel, chapter 11, verses 2 thru 35. After each verse, there is a discussion of the actual historical events that occurred which fulfilled the prophecy: 11:2 - And now I will tell you the truth: Behold, three more kings will arise in Persia, and the fourth shall be far richer than them all; by his strength, through his riches, he shall stir up all against the realm of Greece. At the point of time of this prophecy, Cyrus is the current king of Persia. The four future kings that would follow Cyrus were: Cambyses (529-522 B.C.), Pseudo-Smerdis (522-521 B.C.), Darius I Hystaspes (521-486 B.C.), and Xerxes I (486-465 B.C.). The focus on this verse is on Xerxes I, thus, the three future kings to precede him are also mentioned, but are not focused on in any detail. True to this verse, Xerxes I did have great wealth, which was amassed by his predecessors. But, more importantly, he amassed a large army, and launched a campaign against Greece in 480, which obviously greatly infuriated Greece, and would later be the impetus that would push Greece, under the leadership of Alexander the Great, to overthrow the Persian Empire. 11:3 - Then a mighty king shall arise, who shall rule with great dominion, and do according to his will. There were subsequent kings of Persia after Xerxes I, but they are not mentioned so as to draw the direct correlation between Xerxes I invasion of Greece, and the later conquering of Persia by Greece. The people of Greece never forgot the unprovoked attack on their country by Persia, and their revenge was finally delivered by a great king and military leader, Alexander the Great (336-323 B.C.). It is even said that when asked of Alexander by the then king of Persia why he was launching an unprovoked assault on Persia, Alexander replied that Persia had previously done the same thing to Greece. Alexander was, from all historical accounts, a mighty king, and he truly did according to his own will by successfully conquering the Persian Empire. 11:4 - And when he has arisen, his kingdom shall be broken up and divided toward the four winds of heaven, but not among his posterity nor according to his dominion with which he ruled; for his kingdom shall be uprooted, even for others besides these. The phrase, “And when he has arisen,” speaks to when Alexander had reached the zenith of his power. History tells us that he had a very brief period of reign after he completed his conquest of the Persian Empire. When he died, he did not leave his kingdom to any of his family, but gave it to his four generals who divided up the kingdom between themselves into four separate smaller kingdoms thus fulfilling, “his kingdom shall be broken up and divided toward the four winds of heaven.” Thus, Alexander’s kingdom was not given to his posterity, “but not among his posterity,” for it was given to his generals, and it was not “according to his dominion with which he ruled,” since the kingdom was now divided into four parts with four separate weaker rulers in contrast to Alexander’s sole rule over the entire empire. 11:5 - Also the king of the South shall become strong, as well as one of his princes; and he shall gain power over him and have dominion. His dominion shall be a great dominion. Alexander’s kingdom, as previously mentioned, was divided between four of his generals: Lysimachus, Cassander, Ptolemy, and Seleucus Nicator. However, the prophecy will now focus on the lineage of two of these generals: Ptolemy (king of the South) and Seleucus Nicator (king of the North). The Southern kingdom is Egypt (cf. Daniel 11:8), and the Northern Kingdom is modern day Syria. These two kingdoms would continually be at war, and since Israel lay between these two kingdoms, their battles would be fought in the land of Israel or on her borders. One will find that when studying prophetical history in the Bible, the land and nation of Israel, with few exceptions, is the focal point. When references are made to kingdom’s and rulers using directional terms, i.e. North, South, East, and West, its reference point is always from the land of Israel. 11:6 - And at the end of some years they shall join forces, for the daughter of the king of the South shall go to the king of the North to make an agreement; but she shall not retain the power of her authority, and neither he nor his authority shall stand; but she shall be given up, with those who brought her, and with him who begot her, and with him who strengthened her in those times. The phrase, “And at the end of some years,” means, “and after a period of years.” So this verse picks up after a period of years has passed. The kings that join forces are Ptolemy II Philadelphus (the king of the south who reigned from 283-246 B.C.), and Antiochus II Theos (the king of the north who reigned from 262-246 B.C.). To bring peace between the two kingdoms, Ptolemy gave his daughter, Berenice, to Antiochus to wed. Antiochus agreed, divorced his current wife, Laodice, and married Berenice. However, this peace did not last for long. When Ptolemy died several years later, Antiochus rescinded his marriage with Berenice, and took back his previous wife, Laodice. As revenge, Laodice had Berenice, Berenice’s son she had with Antiochus, and Berenice’s attendants killed. She then poisoned her husband, Antiochus. Thus, this verse of the prophecy was fulfilled: -“she [Berenice] shall not retain the power of her authority”: Upon the death of her father, her husband rescinded his marriage to her, and took back his previous wife, thus Berenice lost her position as queen and the authority that came with that position. -“and neither he nor his authority shall stand”: The “he” here refers to Antiochus, and when Laodice poisoned him, both he and his authority to rule fell. -“but she shall be given up, with those who brought her, and with him who begot her, and with him who strengthened her in those times.”: The “she” here refers to Berenice. Laodice had Berenice, her attendants (“those who brought her”), and her son killed. The “him who begot her” refers to Berenice’s father, Ptolomy, who’s death precipitated all the treachery and killing. The reference to, “him who strengthened her in those times,” is most probably, Ptolemy, her husband the king who gave her authority for a time. 11:7 - But from a branch of her roots one shall arise in his place, who shall come with an army, enter the fortress of the king of the North, and deal with them and prevail. The phrase, “a branch of her roots,” refers to Berenice’s family lineage. Berenice’s brother, Ptolemy III Eueretes (reigned 246 – 221 B.C.), became king of the southern kingdom. He came against the king of the northern kingdom, Seleucus Callinicus (reigned 246 – 227 B.C.), and conquered the northern kingdom. 11:8 - And he shall also carry their gods captive to Egypt, with their princes and their precious articles of silver and gold; and he shall continue more years than the king of the North. In his defeating of the northern kingdom, the king of the southern kingdom brought back to his empire many riches from the defeated northern kingdom. In addition, the king of the South’s reign continued five years past that of the king of the North, “and he [king of the south] shall continue more years than the king of the North.” 11:9 - Also the king of the North shall come to the kingdom of the king of the South, but shall return to his own land. The king of the North, Seleucius, attempts to retaliate and attack the southern kingdom, but was quickly defeated forcing him to return back to his kingdom in humiliation. 11:10 - However his sons shall stir up strife, and assemble a multitude of great forces; and one shall certainly come and overwhelm and pass through; then he shall return to his fortress and stir up strife. Seleucius had two sons, both of which desired to avenged their father’s defeat, and bring the northern kingdom back to its glory days. When Seleucius died, his first son, Seleucus Ceraunuus (reigned 226-223 B.C.), took the throne and began to build a great army. He died several years after taking the throne, and was succeeded by his brother, Antiochus II the Great (reigned 223-187 B.C.). Antiochus will commence an attack on the southern kingdom with his great army, and will gain a significant amount of territory. Note how the prophecy speaks of his sons, plural, in the beginning, but then switches to singular when talking about the actual invasion of the northern kingdom against the southern kingdom—precisely as happened. 11:11 - And the king of the South shall be moved with rage, and go out and fight with him, with the king of the North, who shall muster a great multitude; but the multitude shall be given into the hand of his enemy. However, the northern kingdom’s victories enraged the king of the south, Ptolemy Philopator (reigned 221-203 B.C.), who mustered up a large army for himself. Then, in a decisive battle, the king of the south achieved a great victory over the armies of the North, and thus, “the multitude [northern army] shall be given into the hand of his enemy [southern kingdom].” 11:12 - When he has taken away the multitude, his heart will be lifted up; and he will cast down tens of thousands, but he will not prevail. The king of the South, after his great victory, was very encouraged. However, though he defeated “tens of thousands” in his victory, he would not ultimately prevail due to his lack of following up on his victories and completing his conquest. Thus, he did not capitalize on the opportunity to increase in strength, but returned to his homeland prematurely to a life of luxury. 11:13 - For the king of the North will return and muster a multitude greater than the former, and shall certainly come at the end of some years with a great army and much equipment. The king of the North, Antiochus the Great, would again return to battle the southern kingdom thirteen years after his first defeat in 201 B.C. with an even greater army than he had in his first battle with the southern kingdom. 11:14 - Now in those times many shall rise up against the king of the South. Also, violent men of your people shall exalt themselves in fulfillment of the vision, but they shall fall. Supporting Antiochus the Great in his battle with the southern kingdom were Jewish mercenaries, “violent men of your [Daniel’s] people.” As we remember, this vision, or prophecy, is being given to the prophet Daniel by an angel. So when Daniel is told, “your people,” the reference would be referring to the Jews. History tells us that Jewish mercenaries did assist the northern kingdom in their battle with the southern kingdom. These mercenaries were probably looking to gain favor with Antiochus in aiding in his attack of the southern kingdom, but as the prophecy tells us, “they shll fall.” The efforts of the Jewish mercenaries did not ultimately bring them into favor. 11:15 - So the king of the North shall come and build a siege mound, and take a fortified city; and the forces of the South shall not withstand him. Even his choice troops shall have no strength to resist. Antiochus the Great will ultimately prevail in his battle against the southern king, Ptolemy V Epiphanes (reigned 203-181 B.C.). The final battle and surrender of the southern armies came at a city called Sidon, which was referred to as “the most fenced cities,” literally “a city of fortifications.” The city was taken by literally building siege mounds (ramps made out of built-up dirt that enable attacking forces climb over enemy walls or fortifications), as predicted. 11:16 - But he who comes against him shall do according to his own will, and no one shall stand against him. He shall stand in the Glorious Land with destruction in his power. Antiochus’ victory over the southern armies gave him complete dominion over that region allowing him to do as he willed, and his power was such that no one could come against him in battle and prevail. Antiochus came into the land of Israel, “the Glorious Land”, and rewarded the mercenaries that fought beside him. However, he did not grant the Israelites their freedom, as was probably hoped by the Jewish mercenaries, in return for their support in battle. Though bestowing some favor on the Israelites, Antiochus had the power to utterly destroy the city of Jerusalem. 11:17 - He shall also set his face to enter with the strength of his whole kingdom, and upright ones with him; thus shall he do. And he shall give him the daughter of women to destroy it; but she shall not stand with him, or be for him. The phrase, “He shall also set his face,” means he “became determined to accomplish.” Antiochus, having partial control over the southern kingdom, including the land of Israel, now wanted to advance and take control over the entire kingdom. Siding with him were “the upright ones,” which is a reference to Jews. As mentioned before, the Jewish nation looked to Antiochus as someone who could give them back their freedom, thus, they sided with him in his endeavors. The southern kingdom, however, was beginning an alliance with the up and coming Roman Empire. Instead of advancing against the southern kingdom militarily, Antiochus chose to give his daughter, Cleopatra (not the same Cleopatra associated with Julius Caesar and Marc Antony), in marriage to the king of the South, Ptolemy Epiphanes. His intent was to have his daughter retain her loyalty to him, and to be a spy, “And he shall give him the daughter of women to destroy it.” However, this was not the case. Cleopatra was loyal to her new husband and sided against her father, thus fulfilling the prophecy, “but she shall not stand with him [her father], or be for him.” 11:18 - After this he shall turn his face to the coastlands, and shall take many. But a ruler shall bring the reproach against them to an end; and with the reproach removed, he shall turn back on him. Antiochus, now very determined to conquer the southern kingdom, first took possession over the isles of the Aegean sea, and then crossed over with his armies into Greece, “After this he shall turn his face to the coastlands, and shall take many.” However, Greece now had allied with Rome, and when Antiochus began his attack on Greece, the Grecians notified their ally, Rome, who then sent an army of their warriors to Greece to confront Antiochus. The general assigned the commission by Rome to lead the army was Lucius Scipio Asiaticus, who would be the “ruler”, or as some translations have it, “commander.” The Roman general, Asiaticus, met Antiochus in battle, and utterly defeated him, sending him back to the northern kingdom in humiliation, and thus fulfilling the prophecy, “But a ruler [Asiaticus] shall bring the reproach against them [northern kingdom] to an end; and with the reproach removed, he shall turn back on him.” 11:19 - Then he shall turn his face toward the fortress of his own land; but he shall stumble and fall, and not be found. Antiochus, in humiliated defeat, returns to “the fortress of his own land,” that is, he returns to the northern kingdom. Several months after his return, Antiochus was killed by local inhabitants when he tried to plunder one of their religious temples (the temple of Bel). Thus, as the prophecy states, “he shall stumble and fall, and not be found,” that is, the reference “stumble and fall” refers to his death. 11:20 - There shall arise in his place one who imposes taxes on the glorious kingdom; but within a few days he shall be destroyed, but not in anger or in battle. Rome imposed a substantial annual tax on Greece as retribution and repayment for the war they had caused in Greece. The king that followed Antiochus was named Seleucus IV Philopator (reigned 187-176 B.C.). He is known by history as a raiser of taxes, which was prompted by the annual tribute that the northern kingdom was now required to pay to Rome. All during his twelve-year reign, Philopator struggled to make the annual tribute each year to Rome. In the twelfth year of his reign, he was mysteriously poisoned (some believe it was by his treasurer, Heliodorus). Thus, his twelve-year reign was short compared to his father’s, Antiochus, of nearly forty years, and his death was neither taken, “in anger or in battle.” 11:21-35 - The next passage, verses 21 thru 35, goes on to chronicle the prophetical history of the next king of the northern kingdom, Antiochus Epiphanes (reigned 175 –164 B.C.). This was a vile ruler who greatly persecuted the Jews. As with the prior passage in Daniel that we reviewed, his reign is prophetically chronicled in perfect detail. Only a divine hand could have authored such an accurate and precise prophecy as this passage from the book of Daniel, which spans almost 400 years. Prophecy – The Jews To Be Regathered Back To Israel The following verses are found in various books of the Bible that were written 2,400 to 2,700 years ago, and speak of the time when God would regather the Jews back into their promised land of Israel. “It shall come to pass in that day that the Lord shall set His hand again the second time to recover the remnant of His people who are left, from Assyria and Egypt, from Pathros and Cush, from Elam and Shinar, from Hamath and the islands of the sea. He will set up a banner for the nations, and will assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.” (NKJ: Isaiah 11:11-12) “’Therefore, behold, the days are coming,’ says the LORD, ‘that they shall no longer say, ‘As the LORD lives who brought up the children of Israel from the land of Egypt,’ but, ‘As the LORD lives who brought up and led the descendants of the house of Israel from the north country and from all the countries where I had driven them.’ And they shall dwell in their own land.’” (NKJ: Jeremiah 23:7-8) “I will whistle for them and gather them, for I will redeem them; and they shall increase as they once increased. I will sow them among the peoples, and they shall remember Me in far countries; they shall live, together with their children, and they shall return. I will also bring them back from the land of Egypt, and gather them from Assyria. I will bring them into the land of Gilead and Lebanon, until no more room is found for them.” (NKJ: Zechariah 10:8-10) Fulfillment Every conquered people throughout history, after being taken over by another culture and thrown into exile, have been assimilated into the nation of their exile, thus disappearing and losing their nationality. But there has been one exception in all of history, that being the Jewish nation of Israel. Though being conquered by other nations, and sent into exile, they have maintained their nationality and heritage throughout the centuries. However, this should be no surprise to the student of the Bible for God has promised in His Word to keep the nation of Israel, and to gather them back into their promised land of Israel. Though God would punish Israel for their sin and rebellion against Him, and allow foreign nations to conquer them as a consequence of their actions, He has always promised to keep their nationality, and to ultimately bring them back into their homeland that He gave to them several thousand years ago. The Jews have already returned to their land of Israel, and have reestablished and maintained it has their nation against impossible odds. Prophecy – King Cyrus Foretold By Name To Enable The Jews To Return To Israel, And To Rebuild The Temple God spoke the following prophetical words to the prophet Isaiah, “Who says of Cyrus, ‘He is My shepherd, and he shall perform all My pleasure, saying to Jerusalem, ‘You shall be built,’ and to the temple, ‘Your foundation shall be laid.’” (NKJ: Isaiah 44:28) (cf. Isaiah 45:13) The book of Isaiah was written around 700 B.C. Fulfillment This prophecy refers to Cyrus, king of the Medo-Persian empire, who conquered the nation of Babylon, which had previously subjugated the Jews, in 539 B.C, and then in the following year gave the Jews permission to return to their land and to rebuild their temple. This prophecy, given by the prophet Isaiah, was given approximately 150 years prior to its fulfillment, obviously prior to Cyrus even being born, and specifically called him by name. Prophecy – Establishment Of Israel In 1948 And Israel Six-Day War In 1967  God spoke to Ezekiel: ”3… This will be a sign to the house of Israel. 4 “Lie also on your left side, and lay the iniquity of the house of Israel upon it. According to the number of the days that you lie on it, you shall bear their iniquity. 5 For I have laid on you the years of their iniquity, according to the number of the days, three hundred and ninety days; so you shall bear the iniquity of the house of Israel. 6 And when you have completed them, lie again on your right side; then you shall bear the iniquity of the house of Judah forty days. I have laid on you a day for each year. 7 Therefore you shall set your face toward the siege of Jerusalem; your arm shall be uncovered, and you shall prophesy against it. 8 And surely I will restrain you so that you cannot turn from one side to another till you have ended the days of your siege.” (NKJ: Ezekiel 4:3-8) Fulfillment This prophecy by Ezekiel for the restoration of Israel is one of the most fascinating of all prophecies of the Bible. However, it is also one of the most complicated prophecies. I have included this prophecy since it is my father’s favorite prophecy in the Bible. The prophet Ezekiel was given by God one of the Bible’s most awesome prophecies foretelling of both the rebirth of Israel on May 15, 1948, and of the recapture of Jerusalem by the Jewish nation on June 7, 1967. God had Ezekiel lay on his side for 390 days, and then 40 days, for a total of 430 days. Each day represented a year that Israel would be punished for their disobedience to God. At the time of the prophecy, Israel was in the midst of a 70-year captivity by Babylon, which had been previously prophesied by the prophet Jeremiah, “And this whole land shall be a desolation and an astonishment, and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years.” (NKJ: Jeremiah 25:11) Nebuchadnezzar first laid siege to Jerusalem, and took away captives sometime in the period 606 -605 B.C. The captivity ended sometime in the period 538 to 536 B.C. precipitated by the decree of Cyrus, just as Jeremiah prophesied: “1 Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying, 2 Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: All the kingdoms of the earth the LORD God of heaven has given me. And He has commanded me to build Him a house at Jerusalem which is in Judah. 3 Who is among you of all His people? May his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem which is in Judah, and build the house of the LORD God of Israel (He is God), which is in Jerusalem.” (NKJ: Ezra 1:1-3) At which time only a small number of the Jews then in Babylon totaling only 42,360 (Ezra 2:64) chose to return to Israel. The Jews had become comfortable in Babylon with farms and business, and the thought of returning to a desolate desert homeland was not an appealing thought even though their God had instructed them to return. Even the remnant that returned did not do so with a strong faith, and many brought with them their Babylonian gods and beliefs. Therefore, based on their disobedience, there was still 360 years (the initial 430 years in Ezekiel’s prophecy less the 70 years of captivity in Babylon) left for their punishment per Ezekiel’s prophecy. However, the question arises as to what event occurred after this additional 360 years, and none can be found. To unlock this mystery, we turn to a prophesy given by God in Leviticus: “18 ‘And after all this, if you do not obey Me, then I will punish you seven times more for your sins….21 ‘Then, if you walk contrary to Me, and are not willing to obey Me, I will bring on you seven times more plagues, according to your sins….24 then I also will walk contrary to you, and I will punish you yet seven times for your sins….28 then I also will walk contrary to you in fury; and I, even I, will chastise you seven times for your sins.” (NKJ: Leviticus 26:18,21,24,28) Four separate times God tells Israel that if they do not obey Him that he will multiply their punishment seven times. Now, if we apply this prophecy in Leviticus to the remaining 360 years (430 total years of punishment prophesied by Ezekiel less the 70 years of captivity in Babylon), we then have 2,520 years (360 years multiplied by 7 as per the verse in Leviticus) of additional punishment and exile by God. Now, before we do the math on historical dates, we must do some review: 1) In biblical prophecy, both in the Old and New Testaments, a prophetic year consists of 360 days. This can be seen in both the books of Genesis (cf. Genesis 7:11, 24; 8:3,4 - The five months from the beginning of the flood beginning on the 17th day of the second month till the day the Ark rested on dry land on the 17th day of the seventh month was exactly 150 days, or five 30 day months) and Revelation (cf. Revelation 12:6 – the last three and one-half years last 1,260 days, or 18 months of 30 days; also Revelation 11:2, 12:14, 13:5). 2) There were three sieges on Jerusalem: a. 606 - 605 BC – Referred to as the “Servitude of the Nation”. The prophet Daniel dates this first siege and captivity as the third-year of the reign of Jehoiakim, “In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it.” (NKJ: Daniel 1:1), which is the year 606 - 605 BC. (cf. II Kings 24:1, Jeremiah 25:1) b. 597 BC – Those Jews who remained in Jerusalem after the first siege in 606-605 BC decided to rebel against Babylon, so king Nebuchadnezzar again laid siege to the city of Jerusalem. After re-conquering the Jews a second time, the king still allowed a significant number of them to remain in Jerusalem. (cf. II Kings 24:10-16, Ezekiel 1:1-2, Esther 2:5-6) c. 587 BC – Referred to as the “Desolation of Jerusalem”. After another rebellion by the Jews remaining in Jerusalem, king Nebuchadnezzar, tired of the rebellious Jews, destroyed the city wall, the city buildings, and the temple, and took the remainder of the Jews into captivity in Babylon. (cf. II Kings 24:18,1-27, II Chronicles 36:11-21, Jeremiah 39:1-2) 3)The end of the first Babylonian captivity occurred, according to most scholars, during the period 538 – 537 B.C1. with the decree of king Cyrus, “22 Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying, 23 thus says Cyrus king of Persia: All the kingdoms of the earth the LORD God of heaven has given me. And He has commanded me to build Him a house at Jerusalem which is in Judah. Who is among you of all His people? May the LORD his God be with him, and let him go up!” (NKJ: II Chronicles 36:22-23) The end of the captivity could be at the date of the decree, or when the Jewish captives actually departed Babylon, which most likely would have been within a year or so of the decree. 4)The end of the third Babylonian captivity would have been in approximately 518 B.C. based on the captivity being 70 prophetic 360-day years, which translates very closely to 69 modern-day calendar years. That is, the captivity date of 587 B.C. less 69 years brings us to 518 B.C. 5)In reviewing our calendar of 365.25 days per year (365 day years with every fourth year being 366), we must adjust for the following changes made to the calendar in the Gregorian Reform in 1582: a)In 1582, October 5th was declared October 15th to correct for the accumulated errors in the Julian calendar (the Julian calendar was established in 46 B.C. by Julius Caesar) effectively taking away 10 days. b)Leap years exclude centuries unless divisible by 400 Now, let us apply some mathematical calculations to data above, and see where it shall take us. We derived, based on the prophecies contained within Ezekiel and Leviticus that Israel would have 2,520 years of additional punishment from God. Using the prophetical year of 360 days, we can then determine that there will be 907,200 days (2,520 years x 360 prophetical days per year) of punishment. Next, we can convert these days into our current calendar years as follows: 2483 years x 365 days = 906,295 days 9 months x 30 days = 270 days 7 days = 23 days Leap years (~) = 621 days Adjust for Gregorian Reform adjustments 10 Days deleted (Oct 5 to Oct 15) = 10 days Leap year adjustments for centuries = . -19 days Total Days 907,200 days So, another way to reflect the above is that 907,200 days equals approximately 2483Years:9Months:7Days. Now, let us apply the above to our two key dates in modern Israel history: Israel becomes a nation: May 14, 1948 May 14, 1948 1948Year:5Month:14Day A.D. Prophetic time period 2483Years:9Months:23Days Calculated Date 536 Year:7Month:21Day B.C. Add one year* 537Year:7Month:21Day B.C. *Add one year since there is no year 0, and years go from 1 B.C. to 1 A.D. Based on the above calculation, we see that the required date for the end of the first Babylonian captivity, “The Servitude of the Nation”, of the 21rd day of the seventh month of 537 B.C. fits into the actual time period in which this event occurred. Israel Recaptures Jerusalem: June 7, 1967 June 7, 1967 1967Year:6 Month:7Day A.D. Prophetic time period 2483Years:9Months:23Days Calculated Date 517 Year:8Month:14Day B.C. Add one year* 518Year:8Month:14Day B.C. *Add one year since there is no year 0, and years go from 1 B.C. to 1 A.D. Based on the above calculation, we see that the required date for the end of the third Babylonian captivity, “The Desolation of Jerusalem”, of the 14th day of the eighth month of 518 B.C. fits into the actual time period in which this event occurred. Notes: 1 The dating of Cyrus’ decree does not have a specific historical date. He conquered Babylon in 539 B.C., and then would have begun his reign shortly thereafter. According to Ezra 1:1, he made his decree during the first year of his reign, “1 Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying, 2 Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: All the kingdoms of the earth the LORD God of heaven has given me. And He has commanded me to build Him a house at Jerusalem which is in Judah. 3Who is among you of all His people? May his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem which is in Judah, and build the house of the LORD God of Israel (He is God), which is in Jerusalem. 4 And whoever is left in any place where he dwells, let the men of his place help him with silver and gold, with goods and livestock, besides the freewill offerings for the house of God which is in Jerusalem.” (NKJ: Ezra 1:1-4) The date of the end of the captivity could be the date of Cyrus’ decree, or the date the Jewish captives actually left Babylon, which was thought to be within one to two years of the decree. Further to note is that Ezra says Cyrus’ decree was made in, “the first year of Cyrus.” In determining the proper year to which being referred, it should be noted that what we would consider the first year of Cyrus’ reign can be referred to as the “accession year”, and the second year he was king would be referred to as, “the first regnal year” or “first year of his reign.” PROPHESIES RELATING TO THE MESSIAH, JESUS CHRIST In the Old Testament books of the Bible, we find many prophecies relating to what was at that point in time the future Messiah to come. The word “Messiah,” which can be translated “anointed one”, is a reference to the Savior that God would send into the world. The Jews believed the Messiah would come to bless only them, and did not understand that He would come to bless all the nations of the world. The Messiah was also referred to as the coming King. The following is a small selection of the hundreds of Messianic prophecies found in the Old Testament. Prophecy – The Messiah Shall Present Himself Riding The Colt Of A Donkey The following Messianic prophecy was given by God to the prophet Zechariah, “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, lowly and riding on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey.” (NKJ: Zechariah 9:9) The book of Zechariah was written approximately 480 – 470 B.C. Fulfillment This Messianic prophecy was fulfilled when Jesus Christ entered Jerusalem on what is known as Palm Sunday, “Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their clothes on it, and He sat on it.” (NKJ: Mark 11:7) This event occurred approximately 32 A.D., around 500 years after the prophecy was made. Prophecy – The Messiah To Be Betrayed For Thirty Pieces Of Silver The prophet Zechariah received this Messianic prophecy from God, “So they weighed out for my wages thirty pieces of silver. And the LORD said to me, ‘Throw it to the potter”’—that princely price they set on me. So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the LORD for the potter.” (NKJ: Zechariah 11:12-13) The book of Zechariah was written approximately 480 – 470 B.C. Fulfillment This Messianic prophecy foretells of the betrayal of Jesus Christ for thirty pieces of silver, and also of the ultimate use of that silver, “Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, ‘What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him to you?’ And they counted out to him thirty pieces of silver. So from that time he sought opportunity to betray Him….Then Judas, His betrayer, seeing that He had been condemned, was remorseful and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, ‘I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.’ And they said, ‘What is that to us? You see to it!’ Then he threw down the pieces of silver in the temple and departed, and went and hanged himself. But the chief priests took the silver pieces and said, ‘It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, because they are the price of blood.’ And they consulted together and bought with them the potter’s field, to bury strangers in. Therefore that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day.” (NKJ: Matthew 26: 14-16, 27:3-7) This event occurred approximately 32 A.D., around 500 years after the prophecy was made. Prophecy – The Messiah To Be Born Of A Virgin This prophecy was received by the prophet Isaiah, “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel [literally translated, “God with us”].” (NKJ: Isaiah 7:14) The book of Isaiah was written approximately 700 B.C. Fulfillment This prophecy foretells of the virgin birth of Jesus Christ. As its fulfillment, in the book of Matthew we read, “Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.’ So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: ‘Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,’ which is translated, ‘God with us.’” (NKJ: Matthew 1:18-23) Jesus Christ was born approximately 2 B.C., which is approximately 700 years after the prophecy was made. Prophecy – The Messiah Shall Be Of The Lineage Of King David God spoke this prophecy to the prophet Isaiah, “And in that day there shall be a Root of Jesse, who shall stand as a banner to the people; for the Gentiles shall seek Him, and His resting place shall be glorious.” (NKJ: Isaiah 11:10) The book of Isaiah was written approximately 700 B.C. Fulfillment This Messianic prophecy foretells of the lineage of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. Jesse was the father of King David. Various passages in the Old Testament specify that the Messiah will come through the lineage of King David. In the books of Matthew and Luke, we are given the lineages of Jesus. In the book of Matthew, verses 1:6-16, we are given the lineage of Jesus through His father Joseph back to Jesse, and in the book of Luke, verses 3:23-32, we are given the lineage of Jesus through His mother Mary back to Jesse. Thus, the prophesied lineage of Jesus Christ was absolutely correct. Jesus Christ was born approximately 2 B.C., which is approximately 700 years after the prophecy was made. Prophecy – The Messiah To Be Born In Bethlehem This prophecy was given by God to the prophet Micah, “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting.” (NKJ: Micah 5:2) The book of Micah was written approximately 735 to 710 B.C. Fulfillment In this prophecy, we are given the birth place of the Messiah. We read in the book of Matthew, “Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king…” (NKJ: Matthew 2:1) Jesus Christ was born approximately 2 B.C., which is a little over 700 years after the writing of the prophecy. Prophecy – The Exact Date Of Palm Sunday Foretold Arguably, the most spectacular prophecy in the Old Testament regarding the coming of our Messiah, Jesus Christ, is contained in the words given by the angel Gabriel to the prophet Daniel, which is generally referred to as “the seventy weeks of Daniel”: “24 Seventy weeks are determined For your people and for your holy city, To finish the transgression, To make an end of sins, To make reconciliation for iniquity, To bring in everlasting righteousness, To seal up vision and prophecy, And to anoint the Most Holy. 25 Know therefore and understand, That from the going forth of the command To restore and build Jerusalem Until Messiah the Prince, There shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; The street shall be built again, and the wall, Even in troublesome times. 26 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. 27 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.” Fulfillment To properly understand this prophecy, several items must be noted: a) The term “weeks” are interpreted by most conservative scholars as weeks of years, that is, each week represents seven years. This is a common idiom used in the Bible in relation to working the land for six years with the seventh being the Sabbath in which the land is given rest in that year (cf. Leviticus 25:1-22, Deuteronomy 15) 1 b) In biblical prophecy, both in the Old and New Testaments, a prophetic year consists of 360 days. This can be seen in both the books of Genesis (cf. Genesis 7:11, 24; 8:3,4) and Revelation (cf. Revelation 11:2, 12:6). c) There were four decrees, or commands, to rebuild in Jerusalem: 1 - II Chroniccles 36:22-23; Ezra 1:1-4,6:1-5: Cyrus to rebuild the temple (539 BC) 2 - Ezra 6:6-12: Darius confirming the decree by Cyrus (520 BC) 3 - Ezra 7:11-26: Artaxerxes granting permission for Jews to return to Israel (457 BC) 4 - Nehemiah 2:1-8: Artaxerxes decreeing that Nehemiah should return to Israel, and rebuild the city of Jerusalem. This date, which is documented in secular history, is March 14, 445 BC. 2 Of the four biblical decrees noted above, only one contains an explicit command to rebuild Jerusalem that being the fourth decree by Artaxerxes noted in Nehemiah 2:1-8. d) There were various times during Jesus’ ministry where the people wanted to promote Him as king, but he refused, “because His hour had not yet come.” (cf. John 6:15; 7:30) Then, one day, Jesus not only allowed the people to proclaim Him as Messiah the king, but arranged the day, even riding in on a donkey fulfilling scripture (cf. Matthew 21:1-9, Zechariah 9:9). This day was Palm Sunday. On this day, the nation of Israel celebrated the coming of the Messiah, “And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them in the way. And the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying: Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” (Matthew 21: 8,9) The title being given to Him by the people of “the Son of David”, was acknowledging Jesus as their prophesied Messiah. When the religious leaders of the Jews heard these words from the people regarding Jesus, they were outraged at this title being given to Him in that they completely rejected Jesus as being the Messiah, “But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant and said to Him, Do You hear what these are saying? And Jesus said to them: Yes. Have you never read, Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise? I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out.” ( – Mt 21:15, 16, Luke 19:40) Based on the above, we can conclude that “Until the Messiah the Prince” refers to the day that Jesus Christ allowed the people to proclaim Him Messiah and king -- that day was Palm Sunday, Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. e) Since the specific Palm Sunday is not a historic date, there are several potential dates on which this day could potential fall, one of which is April 6, 32AD. This date has validity in that in Luke 3:1-3 we are told that John the Baptist started baptizing in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar. Secular history tells us that Tiberius began his reign in AD 14, so his fifteenth year would be AD 28. Jesus would have most likely come to John to be baptized and start His ministry sometime during that year, and with His ministry lasting around three years, then this date would be the most likely. 3 The above passage speaks of three periods of time: a) Verse 24: Discusses overall events to occur either during or at end of the 70 weeks b) Verses 25: Period of time from when the decree to rebuild Jerusalem is made to the coming of the Messiah (69 weeks) c) Verse 26: Period of time between the coming of the Messiah and the seventieth week of Daniel d) Verse 27: The seventieth week of Daniel’s prophecy, or the seven-year period outlined in the book of Revelation (1 week) Our focus will be on verse 25, that is, the prophecy on the coming of the Messiah. Based on this verse, it is prophesied that the number of days from the decree to rebuild Jerusalem to the coming of the Messiah is as follows: 69 (weeks of years) x 7 (years in a week) x 360 (days in a prophetic year) = 173,880 days Then, we can calculate the prophesied date of the Coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ: 445 BC to 32 AD (365 days x 476 years*) = 173,740 days Leap Years** = 116 days March 14 to April 6 = 24 days ----------------- Total days 173,880 days *Note: When counting the years, there is no year 0, that is, the years go from 1 BC to 1 AD; therefore, total years is 445 + 32 – 1 = 476. **Note: Based on the Gregorian calendar adjustments to leap years used to correct the error in the Julian calendar (the Julian calendar with standard leap years every fourth year would lose one day every approximately 128 years; therefore, centuries not divisible by 400 were not to be leap years), though there are 119 standard leap years during this period, three would be subtracted due to the Gregorian century-exclusion rule, i.e. for years 300 B.C., 200 B.C. and 100 B.C. Therefore, based on the above, we come to the date on which our Messiah and Savior, Jesus Christ, was proclaimed to Israel as the Messiah that being Palm Sunday, April 6, AD 32. Notes for Palm Sunday Prophecy (Based on “The Coming Prince” by Sir Robert Anderson, and exerpts from www.truth-that–matters.com/clarifications) 1 "Week" refers to a period of seven years The Hebrew word rendered "weeks" really means "sevens". The Jews used it to refer to the seven days of a week, seven weeks, seven years, in fact, any group of seven. So, the week here, is it seven days? Seven months? Seven years? The context supplies the answer. The angel Gabriel who gave Daniel prophecies 10, 11 and 12 came to him when he was praying for the restoration of Jerusalem. Daniel had just read Jeremiah 25:8-12 and realized that God would allow Jerusalem to be desolate for seventy years. So now, angel Gabriel comes and tells Daniel that although that is true, the complete restoration of Jerusalem will take seventy sevens! Consistency demands that we take the sevens to refer to sets of seven years. 2 The date of Artaxerxes Longimanus’ edict According to the Canon of Ptolemy and the testimony of Julius Africanus, Artaxerxes ascended to the throne shortly after his father's death in July 465 BC. Artaxerxes' father Xerxes was assasinated by Artabanus. For seven months, from July 465 to February 464, Artabanus ran the kingdom. However, it is natural to assume that a newly crowned king (and hence his courtiers) would ignore the rule of his father's assasin and reckon the start of his reign from the death of his father - July 465 BC for Artaxerxes Longimanus. We find that this is indeed the case, since Nehemiah mentions the months of Chisleu (December-January) and the following Nissan (March-April) to be both within the twentieth year of the king's reign (Nehemiah 1:1, 2:1). Thus: 1) Artaxerxes Longimanus' reign started in July 465 BC. 2) His twentieth year started in July 446 BC. 3) Hence the Nisan of his twentieth year was around March 445 BC. Nehemiah does not mention the date of Artaxerxes Longimanus' edict. Since it was customary among the Jews to omit the date of the month if the first day of the month was intended, it is reasonable to assume that Artaxerxes Longimanus issued his edict on the 1st of Nisan, 445 BC. The Jews followed a luni-solar calendar: the months began at the new moon, and a thirteenth (inter-calary) month was added in certain years to take into account the fact that 12 lunar months make less than 365 days. Fact: There was a new moon at 7.09 am, Jerusalem time on 13th March 445 BC (at least that's what the Astronomer Royal, G. B. Airy said on 26th June 1877 in response to a query by Sir Robert Anderson) It follows that 1st Nissan in 445 BC, and hence the start of Daniel's prophetic clock, was 14th March 445 BC. 3 The dating of Palm Sunday Luke 2:1-2 tells us that Jesus was born when Caesar Augustus was the emperor of Rome, when Cyrenius was governor of Syria, during the first census. In his treatise, Das Geburtsjahr Christi, the German scholar Dr Zumpt has shown that the first term of Cyrenius as governor of Syria started in the summer of BC 4. Hence Jesus was born in the summer of BC 4 or later. Mathew 2:1 tells us that King Herod was alive when Jesus was born. According to the British chronologer Fynes Clinton, King Herod died not later than the spring of BC 3, and Jesus was born at least 5 months before Herod died (Fasti Romani, quoted by Robert Anderson in The Coming Prince, page 94). Hence Jesus was born sometime between the summer of BC 4 and the spring of BC 3, perhaps the autumn of BC 4. (As a side note, there is absolutely no Biblical or historical evidence that Jesus was born on 25th December) Luke tells us that Jesus started his ministry in the fifteenth year of Tiberius Caesar (Luke 3:1). It is a well-known fact of history that Tiberius ascended the throne on 19th August, AD 14. This means Jesus started his ministry between August 20, 28 and August 19, 29. Luke also informs us that Jesus was then "about thirty years of age" (Luke 3:23). The Greek word rendered "about" allows leeway only on the greater side (that is, thirty years or more). Thus, Jesus started ministering shortly before his thirty first birthday, which would have been in the autumn of 28 AD. Therefore, Jesus’ ministry started between August and December AD 28. Jesus went to Jerusalem every passover. Since Jesus started his ministry in the latter half of AD 28, his first passover was Nisan (March/April) AD 29. John explicitly mentions three passovers (John 2:13, 6:4 and 12:1). If the feast mentioned in John 5:1 is also a Passover (as scholars such as Hengstenberg have proved), it means that Jesus' last passover, the occasion of his death, was in Nisan (March/April) AD 32. Now, to determine which date Jesus triumphally enter into Jerusalem, that is, the date of his official presentation to Israel as Messiah the Prince. The Bible gives the day of the week for Jesus' resurrection, so we'll work back from that date. Keep in mind that the Jewish day was reckoned from sunset to sunset. 1) The resurrection was on the first day of the week (Mark 16:9), early in the morning: Sunday. 2) Jesus was dead for three days and three nights (Matthew 12:40). This does not mean exactly 72 hours, since he died in the afternoon (Mark 15:33). But taking three days and three nights as a rounded off figure brings us from Sunday to Thursday. Jesus thus died on Thursday afternoon. 3) Another reference point for us is the Passover. Jesus was crucified on the preparation day of the Passover (John 19:14). Thus, Passover was Thursday sunset to Friday sunset. The Passover lambs would be killed on Thursday and eaten on Thursday night. The preparation day was from Wednesday sunset to Thursday sunset [the Last Supper recorded in Mark 14:13-26 on Wednesday night was thus a "preparation meal" - note that the menu included bread and wine, but no passover lamb]. 4) Jesus entered Jerusalem 5 days before the Passover (see John 12:1, 12:12), that is, between Saturday sunset and Sunday sunset (Sunday morning or afternoon - he wouldn't have had a grand entry at night). 5) Since we know from Leviticus 23:5 that the Passover falls on the 14th, we conclude that Thursday was 14th Nisan. Therefore, Sunday was 10th Nisan. Based on the above, Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem was on 10th Nisan, AD 32. Next, to convert the 10th Nisan, AD 32 to the Gregorian calendar (our modern-day calendar). There was a new moon on the night (10:57 pm) of 29th of March, AD 32. According to the Mishna (the body of Jewish religious law and tradition that was prepared after the Bible), due to various regulations concerning the reckoning of the start of the month, the 1st of Nisan often did not coincide with the new moon date during Jesus' time. But we know it must have been around the 29th of March. We can pinpoint the date based on other clues. Working backwards with our Gregorian calendar, we find that 10th April AD 32 was a Thursday. As shown above, the Passover occurred on a Thursday. Thus, the Passover was on one of the following dates: 3rd April, 10th April, 17th April, etc. The 1st of Nisan was accordingly 13 days earlier (since the Passover is on the 14th of Nisan, Leviticus 23:5), and this day should be close to 29th March. This gives us 10th April as the most appropriate choice for Passover. Hence, 14th Nisan was 10th April, and thus, 10th Nisan was 6th April. Therefore, Jesus' triumphal entry to Jerusalem was on 6th April, AD 32. This was the day he was officially presented to Israel as her Messiah. CONCLUSION The previous prophecies that we reviewed are only a sampling of hundreds of events that were accurately and precisely prophesized in the Bible (For a complete reference of prophecies in the Bible I would recommend reading the book, “The Prophecy Knowledge Handbook,” by John F. Walvoord). There is not a single prophesy in the Bible that has been proven incorrect. This, in itself, would be impossible if it were not for one thing, and that one thing is that the Holy Bible was written by God who, from the beginning of time, already foreknew all of future history. The prophecies that were given to us in the Bible are God’s signature on His written word. The God of this universe wanted us to know that the Bible was given to the human race directly from Him, and that there exists no other equal in all of the world. Faced with God’s prophetic signature on the Bible, one who is truly seeking the truth about God can only come to one, and only one, conclusion regarding the Bible, and that conclusion is that this book is truly and uniquely the Word of God. And if the Bible is truly the Word of God, then the words contained therein must all be true. And if all the words contained in the Bible are true, then, based on the words of the Bible, there is only one way to eternal salvation and heaven, and that way is through Jesus Christ, the Son of God: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son [Jesus Christ], that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (NKJ: John 3:16) “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father [God] except through Me.’” (NKJ: John 14:6) “And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son [Jesus Christ]. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.” (NKJ: I John 5:11-12) “He who believes in the Son [Jesus Christ] has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” (NKJ: John 3:36) Based on the words of the Bible, there is no other way to receive eternal life in heaven, but through Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ died for our sins, and it is only through His work on the Cross that we may be saved. Furthermore, it is impossible for a person to earn there way into heaven on their own through their own works, that is, good deeds and right behavior, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” (NKJ: Ephesians 2:8-9) The Bible is very clear on the condition of mankind, and the only way to salvation: - We are all sinners: “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (NKJ: Romans 3:23) - Because of our sin, we all deserve death apart from God: “For the wages of sin is death…” (NKJ: Romans 6:23) - However, we can receive redemption and salvation through Jesus Christ: “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” (NKJ: Romans 10:9) - And salvation is available to everyone: “For ‘whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’” (NKJ: Romans 10:13) Therefore, once one comes to the conclusion that the Bible truly is the inspired Word of God, then one can truly know God and the way to salvation that He has provided through His Son, Jesus Christ. Once the way is known, it is just a simple step to receive it. Have you received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior? If not, what are you waiting for? For more information on the Savior of the world, Jesus Christ, and the way of salvation, I would encourage the reader to review the Bible studies “Jesus Christ” and “Salvation” on this website. I pray that this study has given the reader confidence in the fact that the Bible is the true Word of God. God Bless