(Updated Aug 7, 2014)
The New Testament writers understood the Scriptures through their faith in the glorified and exalted Yeshua – who died and rose again and ascended into Heaven to the right hand of the Father – by the Holy Spirit who was their – and is our – Teacher.
Our reliance is on the record of the Bible. Other books and teachings are useful and helpful to the extent that they enlighten God’s Word to us and direct us to see for ourselves the sufficiency of the Biblical record.
It is vital to apprehend the truth that all of the prophecies regarding the coming Messiah converged upon and in the person of Yeshua of Nazareth at that time in human history when He came into the world, and during the course of His life, ministry, death and resurrection. NO OTHER PERSON (OR ANY OTHER THING OR ENTITY) MEETS, NOR CAN MEET, ALL OF THE PROPHETIC QUALIFICATIONS PERTAINING TO THE MESSIAH, THE SON OF THE LIVING GOD, THE KING OF ISRAEL AND OF THE JEWS! YEHOVAH God is the Lord of history: He determines and sets the appointed times and seasons for the carrying out of His sovereign will.
—Gal 4:4 In the fullness of time God sent His Son. (The precise dates of His birth, death, and coming again are not completely clear, partly because of calendar discrepancies.)
—Lk 12:54-56 Jesus called the people hypocrites for their ability to discern the signs for the weather, but not the signs of the time.
—Lk 19:44; Dan 9:24-27 Jesus wept over Jerusalem for its impending destruction because she did not know the time of her visitation.
—Acts 2:36 The apostle Peter preached that the whole House of Israel should know that God has made Yeshua/Jesus, whom we crucified, both Lord and Messiah.
EXPECTANCY around the time of His birth
—Mt 2:1-8 Wise men from the East; chief priests and scribes of the Jews; Herod the king: all were aware that the Messiah was due
—Lk 2:25 Simeon was waiting for the consolation of Israel through the birth of Yeshua and the salvation of the Lord.
—Lk 2:36 Anna was looking, along with others, for the redemption in Jerusalem.
—Acts 5:34-42 references to false messiahs/christs during that period
—Lk 1 – 2 the angel Gabriel’s announcements to Elizabeth and Zechariah, to Mary and Joseph; and the angel of the Lord telling the shepherds in the fields around Bethlehem
—Lk 1:26 – 2:40 (Is 7:14; 9:6) A young virgin did give birth – a sign to the House of David – and was spoken against (both Mary and Jesus), and was called by divine names.
EXPECTANCY during Yeshua’s ministry
—Lk 3:15; Jn 1:19-27 The question arose as to whether John was the Messiah, and, if not, then why was he baptizing?
—Jn 1:35-51 Andrew and Nathanel, when chosen by Jesus to be His disciples, recognized in Him the One of whom Moses and the Prophets wrote – the Son of God and King of Israel.
—Jn 4:25 The Samaritan woman knew that Messiah should come.
—Lk 7:19-22 (Is 35:5-6; 61:1) John the Baptiser wanted to make sure if Yeshua really was the Messiah as he had been given to think, or was there someone else? Jesus answered the inquiry by demonstrating the power of His anointing to do the signs and miracles and works of YHVH’s Anointed One.
—Lk 22:67; Jn 10:22-24 The elders and the chief priests and the scribes asked Jesus to tell them if, in fact, He was the Messiah.
EXPECTANCY surrounding His death
—Lk 23:34-43 mocking, but also saving faith
PROPHESIED BY GOD to entire human race through both Jewish and Gentile voices, and also by angelic voices: Moses, Balaam, Jacob (Israel), Daniel, magi
—Gen 1:1-5; Jn 8:22 The Light of the world is Christ: pre-existing, not created
—Gen 1:14-18; Jn 9:45 The sun was made and appeared on the 4th day of creation; Jesus the Son (Sun of Righteousness) came into the world in 4th 1000-year day.
—Mt 2:1-11 The star of the child born to be King of the Jews was observed and recognized
—Gen 49:8-12 the sceptre and law-giver with Judah until Shiloh comes
—Num 24:15-19 Star out of Jacob; out of Jacob one shall have dominion
—Dan 9:24-27 The death of Messiah was to be before the destruction of the second Temple, which occurred in 70AD
–70 7’s: days (Sabbaths); weeks (7 days each); years (Sabbatic and Jubilee) [Note: Gen 29:27-30 Jacob served Laban a “week” = 7 years]
–*7 + 62 weeks = 69 weeks = 483 years “counted” from the time of “the commandment to restore and rebuild Jerusalem” until His being “cut off”/death
*Different assumptions of chronology and dating cause discrepancies in determining the dates. It seems clear from Scripture that the first of the seven weeks began with the decree of Cyrus, King of Persia (536BC), followed by a break of about 16 years before the decree was re-affirmed by Darius (520BC), and building of the Temple re-started, and of the city. (see Is 44:28 and Hag 1:1-4; 2:18; Zech 1:1-17; Ezra 6:1-4; Neh 2:1-8) With the break in the building project, the actual time from the initial decree by Cyrus would be closer to 500 years.
—2Chr 36:22-23; Ezra 1:1-4; 4:12; Hag 1:4 Cyrus gave the decree, which He claimed was from YHVH. He proclaimed a Jubilee, and the end of the first of the 7 “weeks”/49 years marked the beginning of the next Jubilee.
—Is 44:28; 45:1-13 Prophecies about Cyrus, the LORD’s anointed, before he was born! Cyrus would make the decree for the building of Jerusalem and for laying the foundation of the Temple, and proclaim liberty for the captivity of Israel.
—Ezra 6:1-14; Neh 2:1-8; Haggai a halt in the work, but Cyrus’ decree was confirmed by Artaxerxes
–The first 7 sevens, or 49 years, coincides with Nehemiah’s work to restore Jerusalem and the Temple service. There was a notable spiritual revival, which saw the cleansing of the Temple and the restoration of the Temple order and service. (Neh 7:1; 12:44; 13:9) After a ‘time-out’ of about 16 years, the ‘clock’ begins again for 62 more weeks. So the time of Yeshua’s final week and ‘cutting off’ (death) is after the 62 weeks, and not 69 uninterrupted weeks!
–7 x 7 = 49 years
7 x 62 = 434 years (400 yrs before birth of Jesus + His death in His 34th year of human life)
7 x 69 = 483 years + ~13 years of interrupted building of the Temple
–The 70th “week of Daniel” is sometime after the death of Messiah, and also after the destruction of the second Temple and also of Jerusalem, and is ‘clocked’ from the confirming of a covenant by the antichrist with Israel back in the Land in the last days at the time of the end.
