Page 21 - Eschatology - Masters revised
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Now let’s compare Daniel’s prophecy with the true interval between the two events. The time span
from 444 B.C. to 33 A.D. is 476 years (remember 1 BC to 1 A.D. is only one year). And if we multiply 476
years x 365.2421879 days per year (corrected for leap years), we get the result of 173,855 days. Close,
but not precisely what Daniel predicted. Now let’s add back the difference between March 5 and March
30 (25 days). What is our total? You guessed it, 173,880 days, exactly as Daniel predicted.
Jesus entered Jerusalem on March 30, 33 A.D. the EXACT date and day that Daniel told everyone that
the Messiah would be presented to Israel. Isn’t that amazing?
Daniel predicted the execution of the Messiah.
God also revealed to Daniel that the Messiah would be executed. This is not what Daniel expected to
happen or wanted to happen. Daniel was looking forward to the Messiah setting up His millennial
kingdom and would have expected God to reveal the timing of that kingdom to begin shortly after the
Messiah formally presented Himself to the nation of Israel. But God reveals that the time for the
kingdom to begin would not occur when the Messiah presented Himself. God knew the nation of Israel
as a whole would reject Jesus Christ as their Messiah and would have Him crucified.
Daniel 9:26a (NIV84) After the sixty-two ‘sevens,’ the Anointed One will be cut off and will have
nothing.
The words “cut off” mean “to destroy, to kill”. Jesus Christ was not only “cut off” from man and from
life, but His cry on the cross indicated that He was forsaken of God because the sin of the world was laid
upon Him on that cross.
The words, ”will have nothing” would be better translated “There is nothing for him,”. He would not, at
that time, receive the throne of the earthly kingdom. He died for others, not for Himself. Nothing that
rightly belonged to Him as the Messiah the Prince, was given to Him at that time. He had not come into
His full reward, nor the exercise of His regal authority.
Jesus did not come to earth the first time for His own benefit. Instead, He came to fulfill His Father’s will
and win the right to rule later, to be the second Adam. But practically, He came for you and for me to
save us from our sin.
It is also interesting that Jesus died on the cross on Passover, Nisan 14. Passover was a feast celebrating
the blood that was shed to allow the death angel to pass over the houses of Israel who placed the blood
of lambs on their doorposts.
Jesus raises from the Dead three days after crucifixion.
Of the seven Jewish feasts commanded by God in Leviticus 23, the Feast of First Fruits was celebrated
three days after Passover. On this exact day, Jesus rose from the dead.
Jesus told the Pharisees who were seeking a sign from Him that the only sign would be: “For as Jonah
was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and
three nights in the heart of the earth”. The Jews held that a day begins at dusk (around 6:00 PM) and
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