Today, approximately 1 Billion people eagerly await the second arrival of Jesus Christ, in fulfillment of His promise to return to earth.

Unknown to many people is the fact that the Bible reveals the precise day when Jesus would come to Jerusalem as the Messiah, the first time. The Book of Daniel, chapter 9, contains the most amazing and important prophecy of the entire Bible. In this single chapter, God reveals to us His entire prophetic plan for the last days of earth. He tells us the specific day when Jesus would come, and the precise details of His death for our sins.

When Jesus arrived and announced for the first time in His ministry that “His time had come,” there were very few who were lining the street leading into the city of Jerusalem. About 700 years before Jesus came to the city, Isaiah the prophet had predicted that when Messiah did arrive, there would be very few who would be waiting for Him.

Isaiah 33:2 is generally accepted as a Messianic prophecy that will be fulfilled during the seven-year tribulation when Israel will receive Jesus as her promised Savior. There is, however, an earlier fulfillment of this prophecy as seen in the gospel of Luke.

Luke 2:25-32 And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law, he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said: “Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, According to Your word; For my eyes have seen Your salvation Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples, A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel.”

Simon is an old man, waiting at the temple every day for the coming of the Messiah. He believes that the Holy Spirit has revealed to him that he would not die until the Messiah made His entrance into the world. As Joseph and Mary bring Jesus to the temple, Simon realizes that this tiny baby is the King of kings and Lord of lords whom he has been waiting for.

Is your greatest hope today the words of Isaiah’s prophecy? “O LORD, be gracious to us; We have waited for You.”

Simon had patiently waited for the coming of the Lord continuously. He was aware of the prophecy of Daniel, which predicted the Messiah would come on a specific day. There was apparently good reason for Simon to be anticipating the arrival of the Messiah during the time that he was alive. God had given His prophetic word in the Book of Daniel Chapter 9, carefully describing the specific day the Messiah would make His entrance into the world.

There should have been a large assembly of faithful people who were expecting the appearance of the Messiah at Jerusalem during that time. Instead only a few gathered to meet Him. God had given the nation of Israel hundreds of prophecies regarding the coming of their Messiah, yet they were not prepared for His arrival.

Today, Jesus is due to arrive a second time, at any moment. He promised He would return to remove His church from the earth before the judgment of the Tribulation period begins.[1] The majority of the world will repeat the error of Israel in failing to be ready when He comes again. When Jesus arrives at the outer atmosphere of the earth during the Rapture, the greater part of those who inhabit the earth will be caught by complete surprise. Various explanations will be given for the disappearance of people from all over the earth. Explanations from alien abduction, to mass suicide will be offered as possible justification for the disappearance of perhaps a billion people, all at once. See the chapter in this book: The Rapture of the Church.

The Key to the last days is Daniel chapter 9

In my opinion, the Old Testament Book of Daniel contains the most important prophecy found in the Bible regarding the timing and arrival of the promised Messiah. For more than 30 years, I have taught those who are interested in Bible prophecy, the events predicted by Daniel in comparison with the Book of Revelation and the words of Jesus found in the New Testament.

Over the years, my personal notes for this particular study in Daniel’s prophecy has grown quite large. I am including here, a part of my research and observations regarding the coming of the Messiah— anticipated by only a few at His first arrival on earth. The section of this book, where you may find the most detailed information for the events of Daniel’s prophecies—which predict the precise day the Messiah will arrive at Jerusalem, is found in Prophecy 309.

The 9th chapter of Daniel is regarded by many biblical experts as the most significant chapter of prophecy found in the Bible. The prophecies of Daniel Chapter 9 were so important, that Jesus held the leaders of Israel responsible for knowing the timing of these events described by Daniel.

Luke 19:41-44 Now as Jesus drew near, He saw the city of Jerusalem and wept over it, 42 saying, “If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. 43 For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, 44 and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”

Jesus expected the leaders of Israel to know the prophecies of Daniel Chapter 9, because they foretold the specific day when He would come to Jerusalem as their Messiah. Because these men did not recognize their day of visitation by the Messiah, Jesus pronounces three prophecies of his own upon the entire nation:

Matthew 23:37-39 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing. 38 See! Your house is left to you desolate; 39 for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!’

Matthew 24:1-2 Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple. 2 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.”

Luke 21:20 “But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near.”

See the 14 prophecies that Jesus declared: The Predictions of Jesus.

38 years after Jesus spoke these words, Titus sacked the city of Jerusalem, and burned the Temple to the ground.

“The destruction of Jerusalem was more terrible than anything that the world has ever witnessed, either before or since. Even Titus seemed to see in his cruel work the hand of an avenging God” — Charles Spurgeon

Remember that Daniel was given a glimpse into the future, where he saw the four major Gentile kingdoms of human history.[2]

Babylon under King Nebuchadnezzar.
Persia under King Cyrus.
Greece under Alexander the Great.
Rome under the Roman Emperors.

As we come to chapter 9 of Daniel, the kingdom of Babylon has now been defeated by the kingdom of the Medes and the Persians, under Darius and Cyrus.

Daniel 9:1 In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the lineage of the Medes, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans— 2 in the first year of his reign I, Daniel, understood by the books the number of the years specified by the word of the LORD through Jeremiah the prophet, that He would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.

As Daniel Chapter 9 begins, the nation of Israel has been held in captivity by the empire of Babylon. After 490 years of consistently disregarding the Lord and His law, God allowed Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon to defeat and destroy Judah. The brightest and best young men were taken captive and carried back to Babylon to serve the king.

Jeremiah wrote that this captivity would last for 70 years

Jeremiah 25:1 The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah (which was the first year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon), 2 which Jeremiah the prophet spoke to all the people of Judah and to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying: 3 “From the thirteenth year of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, even to this day, this is the twenty-third year in which the word of the LORD has come to me; and I have spoken to you, rising early and speaking, but you have not listened. 4 And the LORD has sent to you all His servants the prophets, rising early and sending them, but you have not listened nor inclined your ear to hear. 5 They said, ‘Repent now everyone of his evil way and his evil doings, and dwell in the land that the LORD has given to you and your fathers forever and ever. 6 Do not go after other gods to serve them and worship them, and do not provoke Me to anger with the works of your hands; and I will not harm you.’ 7 Yet you have not listened to Me,” says the LORD, “that you might provoke Me to anger with the works of your hands to your own hurt. 8 Therefore thus says the LORD of hosts: ‘Because you have not heard My words, 9 behold, I will send and take all the families of the north,’ says the LORD, “and Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, My servant, and will bring them against this land, against its inhabitants, and against these nations all around, and will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, a hissing, and perpetual desolations. 10 Moreover I will take from them the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the sound of the millstones and the light of the lamp. 11 And this whole land shall be a desolation and an astonishment, and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years.”

The record of history reveals that in 597 B. C., the Captivity began, precisely as the Lord has said. Nebuchadnezzar took Judah and Jerusalem. At the end of the end of 70 years, in 536 B.C., the Captivity is concluded. According to Daniel’s prophecy, the remainder of those who had been carried away to Babylon, will return to Judah once again. See the chart at Prophecy 309 for details.

Jeremiah 29:1 Now these are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the remainder of the elders who were carried away captive—to the priests, the prophets, and all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had carried away captive from Jerusalem to Babylon. 2 (This happened after Jeconiah the king, the queen mother, the eunuchs, the princes of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen, and the smiths had departed from Jerusalem.) 3 The letter was sent by the hand of Elasah the son of Shaphan, and Gemariah the son of Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to Babylon, to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, saying, 4 Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, to all who were carried away captive, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 Build houses and dwell in them; plant gardens and eat their fruit. 6 Take wives and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, so that they may bear sons and daughters—that you may be increased there, and not diminished. 7 And seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the LORD for it; for in its peace you will have peace. 8 For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Do not let your prophets and your diviners who are in your midst deceive you, nor listen to your dreams which you cause to be dreamed. 9 For they prophesy falsely to you in My name; I have not sent them, says the LORD. 10 For thus says the LORD: After seventy years are completed at Babylon, I will visit you and perform My good word toward you, and cause you to return to this place. 11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13 And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you, says the LORD, and I will bring you back from your captivity; I will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you, says the LORD, and I will bring you to the place from which I cause you to be carried away captive.

The reason for the captivity:

It is important to understand why the Lord allowed Nebuchadnezzar to have power over His people to take them captive. There were a variety of sins that Judah had committed against the Lord. The major issue was simply that they had forgotten the Lord in their lives. The reason why the captivity was to last for a period of 70 years was because they had not kept the Lord’s instructions for allowing the land to rest one year for every six in which they planted and harvested.

Exodus 23:10 “Six years you shall sow your land and gather in its produce, 11 but the seventh year you shall let it rest and lie fallow, that the poor of your people may eat; and what they leave, the beasts of the field may eat. In like manner you shall do with your vineyard and your olive grove.”

When Israel came into their own land after being led through the Wilderness by the Lord for 40 years, they were given certain instructions. One of these commandments was that for every seven years they farmed the land, they should allow the ground to rest one year. We know today that one year of rest for every six years that a field is planted and harvested allows the soil to recover the nutrients which have been lost as the crops grow year after year in the soil. For a period of 490 years, Israel did not obey the Lord to allow the land to rest.

As a result—after 490 years, they owed the Lord a land-rest-debt of 70 years. (490 years Divided by 7 years is 70 years)

As Daniel has been reading the prophecies of Jeremiah, he recognizes that the 70 years of Judah’s captivity are nearly complete.

Daniel 9:1 In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the lineage of the Medes, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans— 2 in the first year of his reign I, Daniel, understood by the books the number of the years specified by the word of the LORD through Jeremiah the prophet, that He would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.

Daniel’s response at this realization, causes him to pray and intercede for the entire nation of Israel and her people. He not only repents for his own sins, he petitions the Lord to also forgive the sins of his people, who had caused the captivity in the first place.

Daniel 9:3 Then I set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes. 4 And I prayed to the LORD my God, and made confession, and said, “O Lord, great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and mercy with those who love Him, and with those who keep His commandments, 5 we have sinned and committed iniquity, we have done wickedly and rebelled, even by departing from Your precepts and Your judgments. 6 Neither have we heeded Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings and our princes, to our fathers and all the people of the land. 7 O Lord, righteousness belongs to You, but to us shame of face, as it is this day—to the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, those near and those far off in all the countries to which You have driven them, because of the unfaithfulness which they have committed against You. 8 O Lord, to us belongs shame of face, to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, because we have sinned against You. 9 To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, though we have rebelled against Him. 10 We have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God, to walk in His laws, which He set before us by His servants the prophets. 19 O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, listen and act! Do not delay for Your own sake, my God, for Your city and Your people are called by Your name.”

This prayer of Daniel for his nation and people is a model for what true prayer should contain.

In the midst of Daniel’s petition, the Lord has already dispatched an angel to deliver a message to Daniel, even before he finishes speaking. By this example we understand that from the moment we begin to pray, the Lord is listening to us. If our prayer is like Daniel’s—honest, sincere, humble, repentant, and intercessory, God will not only hear us, He will respond.

Daniel 9:20 Now while I was speaking, praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the LORD my God for the holy mountain of my God, 21 yes, while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, reached me about the time of the evening offering. 22 And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, “O Daniel, I have now come forth to give you skill to understand. 23 At the beginning of your supplications the command went out, and I have come to tell you, for you are greatly beloved; therefore consider the matter, and understand the vision.”

Beginning at verse 23, Gabriel informs Daniel of the most amazing prophetic revelation found in the entire Bible.

This is the prophecy of all prophecies because of what it predicts and the advanced information that is communicated from this amazing revelation from God. In this text we find that all other prophecies of the Bible and their eventual fulfillment, will be centered around this section of Daniel’s prophecy.

The Lord is telling us the precise day when the Messiah will come to Jerusalem:

Daniel 9:24 “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.”

Daniel Chapter 9, beginning at verse 24, describes the entire prophetic calendar for the last days, and it makes it crystal clear that the purpose of the seven-year Tribulation is directed at Israel, not the church of Jesus Christ.

In this prophecy given by the Angel Gabriel, Daniel is told that 70 weeks of years or a period of 490 years (70 X 7 = 490) are determined for the Jews. We understand what the definition of a prophetic week is, from the text of Genesis Chapter 29. Jacob has worked for Laban for seven years in order to pay the dowry required to marry Rachel. At the end of the seven years, Laban tells Jacob to work an additional seven years, to fulfill her week.

Genesis 29:27 Fulfill her week, and we will give you this one also for the service which you will serve with me still another seven years.

During these 70 weeks of years (490 years), all Biblical prophecies will be completed.

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.

The Prophecy will be in three parts:

First, a period of 7 weeks or 49 years.
Next, a period of 62 weeks or 483 years.
Finally, a period of 1 week or 7 years.

It is important to understand that this Prophecy is specifically given to the nation of Israel, not to Jesus’ Church. Therefore, the final seven years that are described as the Tribulation Period, have nothing to do with the church of Jesus Christ. It is for this reason that we do not see the church mentioned anywhere in the Book of Revelation, chapter 6:2 through chapter 18, when the judgments of the seven year Tribulation are being poured out on the earth. The church is seen in heaven, already redeemed, in Revelation chapters 4 and 5, before the Tribulation begins in chapter 6.

The Angel told Daniel: Seventy weeks are determined For your people and for your holy city (not for the church).

The point of beginning for this prophecy is verse 25: from the going forth of the command to restore and rebuild Jerusalem. Remember that Judah has been in captivity in Babylon for the past 70 years.

Daniel 9:25 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 (49 years) and sixty-two weeks (62 weeks of years).

This prophecy will begin its fulfillment when the command is given, allowing the captive Jews of Babylon, to return home to Jerusalem.

Once this command is issued, the prophetic time clock begins to tick, counting down seven weeks (49 years) and then sixty two weeks (483 years). At the end of these 483 years, the Messiah will make His entrance into Jerusalem and be proclaimed as “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord”, Prophecy 149, from Psalm 118:24-26.

The fulfillment of this first part of Daniel’s prophecy is observed in Matthew’s gospel, chapter 21:

Matthew 21:8-9 And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road. Then 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!” See Prophecy 148.

The second part of Daniel’s prophecy declares that when the Messiah arrives, He will be cut off (killed,[3] verse 26) Then the people (Romans) of the prince who is to come, (the future antichrist), will destroy the city and the sanctuary (see Prophecy 310).

In these first 69 weeks of years described by Daniel 9:24:

• Israel’s transgressions against the Lord will be atoned for.
• All sins will be at an end.
• Everlasting righteousness will arrive.
• All future prophetic events will be centered on these events.
• The Messiah will arrive.

Finally, there will be a 70th week, called the Tribulation Period.

The Book of Revelation describes a period of seven years in which 21 judgments from God will be unleashed upon the earth after the Rapture has taken place.[4] This final seven years is also referred to as the 70th week of Daniel, as it is the final part of Daniel’s prophecy from chapter 7, verse 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.”

The “he” referred to here, is the antichrist who will institute a seven year (one week) peace plan for Israel and the surrounding nations. The Temple will be rebuilt on the original Temple Mount site, and the daily sacrifices will begin once again. At the mid-way point of the seven years of peace, the antichrist will end the daily sacrifices and exalt himself as God—commanding the world to worship him as their God.[5]

At the end of the seven years, following all 21 of the judgements described in Revelation 6-18; seven seals, seven trumpets, and seven bowls, Jesus will return to earth with His redeemed church as described in Revelation chapter 19.

The events of Daniel’s prophecy in sequential order:

1. A command given for the Jews to return to Jerusalem. This occurred on March 14, 445 B.C., according to history.[6]
2. During the first 49 years, Jerusalem will be rebuilt (Nehemiah 3-6).
3. Then 434 years later, the Messiah will arrive.
4. Messiah will be killed.
5. The Romans will destroy Jerusalem and the Temple (70 A.D.).
6. In the last days, the final week of 7 years, begins by the signing of a peace treaty between Israel and the surrounding nations.
7. In the middle of the week or 3 1/2 years into the peace treaty, the man who orchestrated the peace plan, the antichrist, will break the peace.
8. He will end the daily sacrifices which have been conducted in the newly rebuilt temple at Jerusalem.
9. He will enter the Holy place and announce that the whole world must worship him as God. This is referred to by Daniel as the abomination of desolation.
10. Jesus will return with His church at the end of the seven year Tribulation Period.

In part one of the prophecy, Gabriel tells Daniel that the Messiah will arrive exactly 69 X 7 = 483 years or 173,880 days after the command is given for the Jews to leave Babylon, where they have been in captivity for 70 years, and return to Jerusalem.

• March 14, 445 B.C. to March 14, 32 A.D. is a period of 173,740 days.
• March 14, 32 A.D. to April 6, 32 A.D., a period of 24 days.
• Adding the number of days to account for Leap Years: 116 days.
• Total days from the time of the command on March 14, 445 B.C. is: 173,880 days.

The big question is: “When did the command to restore and rebuild Jerusalem occur?”

According to the 15th edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica, Artaxerxes Longimanus issued this command on March 14, 445 B.C.[7]

If we take the date March 14th, 445 B.C., and add 7 x 7 (49 years) and 69 x 7 years (483 years), for a total of 173,880 days, we arrive at April 6, 32 A.D. These calculations were verified by Sir Robert Anderson of The Royal Observatory in England.[8]

NOTE: On April sixth, 32 A.D. (tenth of Nisan), Jesus rides into Jerusalem and is proclaimed the Son of David, the Messiah. This fulfilled Daniel’s prophecy of the coming of the Messiah in Chapter 9, verse 25.

How we know the command came in 445 B.C.

The reign of Artaxerxes I (Longimanus) is computed from 465 B.C., according to the history of the Persians.[9] Xerxes I, was murdered by Artabanus the commander of the royal bodyguard of the king. He was the most powerful of the officials in the court of the Persian king. With the help of Aspamitres, a eunuch, Artabanus assassinated Xerxes I, bringing Artaxerxes Longimanus to the throne in 465 B.C.[10]

According to Nehemiah 2:1, Artaxerxes wrote the command for the Jews to return to Jerusalem in the 20th year of his reign.

Nehemiah 2:1 And it came to pass in the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was before him, that I took the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had never been sad in his presence before.

According to Nehemiah, adding 20 years from Artaxerxes ascension to the throne in 465 B.C., we come to 445 B.C.

Hebrew months were not calculated in the same way that our current calendar months are determined. The first day of a Hebrew calendar month begins immediately following a new moon (when no moon is visible).

The way in which the first day of the month was determined in Israel during their ancient history was by observation. When at least two witnesses noticed that a new moon had occurred, they would notify the Sanhedrin at Jerusalem. Upon verification of the beginning of the new moon, the leaders of Israel would declare the “rosh chodesh,” the first of the month. Messengers would then be dispatched over the land to notify the people that the new month had begun.[11]

In the year 445 B.C., the new moon occurred on the 13th day of March at 7:09 a.m.[12] This would place the 1st day of April, the Hebrew month of Nissan, on March 14, 445 B.C. This was also the day that the Passover Lamb was offered.

Ezra and Nehemiah traveled together from Babylon, back to Jerusalem after Artaxerxes issued to command to return and rebuild the city. We know from Ezra’s account that they left Babylon on the first day of the first month, which is Nissan 1, or our calendar, the 14th of March, 445 B.C. Ezra says that he arrived back in Jerusalem on the first day of the fifth month, Av by the Jewish calendar.

Ezra 7:9 On the first day of the first month he began his journey from Babylon, and on the first day of the fifth month he came to Jerusalem, according to the good hand of his God upon him.

This verifies from the historical record and the Bible, that the date of the command to restore and rebuild Jerusalem, from Artaxerxes, was in fact issued on March 14, 445, B.C.

According to Nehemiah 6:15, the walls of Jerusalem were completed after just 52 days on the 25th day of September. Counting backwards for 52 days, we come to the 3rd of Av. This confirms that Nehemiah would have arrived with Ezra on Av 1, according to Nehemiah 2:11.

Nehemiah 2:11 So I came to Jerusalem and was there three days.

From the historical records of the Persians, the Jews, and the Hebrew scriptures, we can accurately compute the date of Artaxerxes command to return to Jerusalem as being March 14, 445 B.C.

The Jews who had been held captive in Babylon for 70 years, were allowed by Artaxerxes command, to return to Jerusalem and begin building the city. This is the object of the first seven weeks, or 49 years of Daniel’s prophecy, which was precisely fulfilled according to the Book of Nehemiah, Chapters 3-6.

The second set of 62 weeks of years (483), ended at Jesus arrival in Jerusalem on April 6, 32 A.D. On the Hebrew Calendar, this was the 10th day of Nissan, 32 A.D., the day that the Passover Lamb was inspected for flaws before He would be sacrificed four days later on the 14th day of the month, the precise day the Passover Lamb would be sacrificed. Jesus died on this exact day, as the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. See Prophecy 21.

What the narrative of the New Testament reveals

If we examine what took place on April 6, 32 A.D., as described by Matthew’s gospel, we find that this was the precise day that Jesus instructed His disciples to go to Bethphage and bring Him the foal of a donkey.

Matthew 21:1-5 Now when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Loose them and bring them to Me. 3 And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of them,’ and immediately he will send them.” 4 All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying: 5 “Tell the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your King is coming to you, Lowly, and sitting on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.’ ”

The fulfillment of Zechariah 9:9, Prophecy 338

Zechariah 9:9 “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.

Matthew 21:6-7 So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them. 8 And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road.

This was Palm Sunday, April 6, 32 A.D.

This is the fulfillment of Daniel’s prophecy for the arrival of the Messiah, 483 years after the command given by Artaxerxes for the Jews to return to Jerusalem on March 14, 445 B.C.

Matthew 21:9 Then 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!”

The fulfillment of Psalm 118:26, Prophecy 149

From history, we know that on Palm Sunday, April 6, 32 A.D., Jesus rode into Jerusalem on the foal of a donkey, and was proclaimed the Messiah.

March 14, 445 B.C. + 483 years at 360 days per year. (483 X 360 = 173,880 Days)

So far, the first 69 weeks (483 years) have been fulfilled. Jesus came to Jerusalem on the specific date that Daniel had predicted. The angel Gabriel told Daniel that 70 weeks were determined for Israel. This leaves one seven-year period of time remaining, before the entire prophecy is fulfilled—the 70th week of Daniel, the seven year Tribulation.

In this 195th prophecy, Isaiah’s corresponding prophecy with Daniel 9, predicts that when the Messiah arrives in Israel, most of the nation will not receive Him. The testimony of those who were present at the time Jesus came into the city on Palm Sunday, April 6, 32 A.D., describes the leaders of Israel and most of the people of the city, who would not receive Him as the promised Messiah.

NOTE: On April sixth, 32 A.D. (tenth of Nisan), Jesus rides into Jerusalem and is proclaimed the Son of David, the Messiah. This fulfilled Daniel’s prophecy of the coming of the Messiah in Chapter 9, verse 25.

Isaiah also wrote that there would be a few who were prepared, waiting, watching, and ready to receive Him, these are described by Isaiah with the words:

Isaiah 33:2 O LORD, be gracious to us; We have waited for You.

Will you be numbered amongst the few who are waiting, watching, and ready to receive Jesus when He returns for His church?

See all of the Messianic Prophecies of Jesus with their complete commentary and personal application, in the new book: “The Prophecies of the Messiah.”

NOTES:
[1] Revelation 3:10, 1 Thessalonians 5:9, John 14:3
[2] Daniel chapters 4 and 7
[3] Genesis 9:11, the first place in the Bible where the term “cut off” is mentioned, in conjunction with all people of the earth being killed in the great flood of Noah.
[4] Revelation chapters 6-18
[5] The antichrist, called “the little horn,” Daniel 8:9, he shall remove the daily sacrifices, Daniel 8:11, he will exalt himself as God and command the world to worship him as God, 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4.
[6] Encyclopedia Britannica, 1990 edition. 1990, 15TH Edition 32 volume set
[7] Ibid.
[8] Sir Robert Anderson, “the Coming Prince”.
[9] R. Schmitt. of Iran “Art”axerxes. Encyclopædia Iranica. 15 December 1986. Retrieved 12 March 2012.
[10] 1. Iran-e-Bastan/Pirnia Book, 1 page 873, 2. Dandamayev 3. History of Persian Empire-Olmstead pages 289-90
[11] From Judaism 101, http://www.jewfaq.org/calendar.htm
[12] From a letter sent to Sir Robert Anderson: To the Royal Obseervatory, Greewich, June 26th, I877. “SIR, – I have had the moon’s place calculated from Largeteau’s Tables in Additions to the Connaisance des Tems 1846, by one of my assistants, and have no doubt of its correctness. The place being calculated for – 444, March 12d. 20h., French reckoning, or March 12d. 8h. P. M., it appears that the said time was short of New Moon by about 8h. 47m., and therefore the New Moon occurred at 4h. 47m. A. M., March 13th, Paris time.” I am, etc (the 13th day of March at 7:09 a.m)., ” (Signed,) G. B. AIRY.” Anderson, Sir Robert (2010-05-27). The Coming Prince (Kindle Locations 1737-1748). . Kindle Edition.

Categories: Believers Removed before Tribulation, Jesus is the Messiah, Prophecies Fulfilled by Jesus, Prophecy proven by History, The Anti-Christ, The First Arrival of the Messiah, The Last Days, The Predictions of Jesus, The Prophecy of Daniel 9, The Rapture of the Church, The Seven Year Tribulation

Tags: 32 A.D., 70 Weeks, April 6, April 6 32 A.D., Artaxerxes Longimanus, Bible Prophecy, Daniel 9:24-27, Daniel chapter 9, Ezra 7:9, Fulfilled prophecies of the Bible, Luke 19:41-44, March 14 445 B.C., Matthew 23:37-39, Matthew 24:1-2, Nehemiah 2:11, Palm Sunday, Seventy Weeks, The abomination of desolation, The Book of Daniel, The Book of Revelation, The command to rebuild, The Prayer of Daniel, The precise day Messiah will arrive, The seven year peace plan, The Tribulation Period, Zechariah 9:9