Prophecies about Jesus: The time of His coming was predicted

There’s lots in the world to be worried about, but we can be less anxious if we knew about future events.

The Old Testament has predictions of future events and people. For example, Abraham was told about 200 years beforehand that the Israelites would be 400 years in Egypt (Gen. 15:13). Isaiah named king Cyrus about 200 years before he reigned over Persia (Isa. 44:28 – 45:1). And Daniel was told about the death of Christ over 400 years beforehand.

Daniel was told by an angel that 483 years will pass “from the time the command is given to rebuild Jerusalem [after the Babylonian invasion] until a ruler—the Anointed One [Jesus]—comes”. He would, “put an end to their sin, to atone for their guilt, to bring in everlasting righteousness”. “The Anointed One will be killed, appearing to have accomplished nothing, and a (different) ruler [the Roman Titus] will arise whose armies will destroy the city [Jerusalem] and the Temple [in AD 70]” (Dan. 9:24-26NLT).

In 444 BC, the Persian king Artaxerxes issued a decree to Nehemiah to restore and rebuild Jerusalem (Neh. 2:1-8). If we count 483 years (476 years in the modern calendar, see Appendix) from the decree of Artaxerxes, we come to about AD 33 (there was no year zero) and the death of Christ. Of course, it’s always clearer looking back – hindcasts are always better than forecasts. After all, the Australian Bureau of Meteorology is a non-profit organization!

The New Testament says, “when the right [or “set”] time came, God sent His Son, born of a woman … to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that He could adopt us as His very own children” (Gal 4:4-5). And “When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners” (Rom 5:6). And the reason He came was, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1 Tim. 1:15).

God had a precise time for Christ to be born (Dan. 9:24-27). Jesus fulfilled God’s set time. If God can determine the times in history for nations (Acts 17:26) and establish governing authorities (Rom. 13:1), He can determine when Jesus came to earth. Of course, all history is in God’s hand – David said, “My times are in your [God’s] hand” (Ps. 31:15).

“The Roman Empire brought the Pax Romana (the peace of Rome) throughout the empire. There was remarkable political stability throughout the Roman world. Freedom to trade and travel throughout the realm was the greatest in the history of the empire. The Koine (common) Greek language was the main language, making it a suitable time for spreading the gospel. Jesus did not come at some random time; He came precisely at the moment God designed from eternity.” (Richinson)

Prayer

Father God, we acknowledge that all history is in Your hand. That should calm any anxiety. You sent Jesus at a precise time to come and save sinners by sacrificing His life.

Thanks for sending Jesus as the perfect Son of God who could die for our sins and rise again in great power over sin and death. So, we offer thanks and praise for all that you have done through Jesus. In Christ’s name, Amen.

Appendix: Ancient calendars

In the context of the global flood, 150 days was a five-month period (Gen. 7:11, 8:3-4). So a month was 30 days and a year (12 months) was 360 days.

And in the context of the two Jewish witnesses, 1,260 days was a 42-month period (Rev. 11:2-3). And in the context of the persecution of the Jews in the great tribulation, 1,260 days was a 3.5-year period (Rev. 12:6, 14). So, a month was 30 days and a year (12 months) is 360 days.

Interestingly, the 70 years of Jewish captivity in Babylon (605-536 BC; Jer. 29:10; 2 Chron. 36:20-21; Dan. 9:1-2) may also assume a year of 360 days, which corresponds to 69 (365-day) years.

The 360-day year may have been derived from lunar calendars, where months were roughly 30 days long. In this system, a year was considered to be 12 months of 30 days each, totaling 360 days. This was a common method of timekeeping in antiquity.

Written, November 2023