This article looks into one of the most amazing time prophecies in Jewish history. This prophecy was given over 2,500 years ago. It is found in the Hebrew Scriptures, in the book of Daniel, chapter 9.
The chapter begins with the Jewish prophet Daniel praying to GOD. Daniel was asking for the forgiveness of his sins as well as for the sins of his people. While Daniel was praying, God sent an angel named Gabriel to tell Daniel about this 490 year prophecy.
Using the biblical principal of prophetic interpretation established by God through Moses in the book of Numbers, chapter 14, verse 34, we know that one prophetic day equals one literal year. Gabriel told Daniel that his people had 490 years to finish transgression, to make an end of sins, to make reconciliation for righteousness, to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most holy. The Angel said that this prophecy would start when the commandment to restore Jerusalem was decreed. At that time Jerusalem had been in ruins and the Jewish people had been taken as captives to Babylon.
This decree went forth in the year 457 BC by the commandment of King Artaxerxes. During these 490 years several things were to take place. First, Jerusalem would be rebuilt 49 years after the decree. And of course since God is never wrong, in the year 408 BC, just 49 years after the decree, Jerusalem was rebuilt.
Second, the Messiah was to be anointed 434 years after Jerusalem was rebuilt. Sure enough 434 years later in 27 AD the Messiah was baptized in the Jordan River and anointed with the Ruach haKodesh, the Holy Spirit of God.
Third, the Messiah was to be cut off, to be killed, in order to make an end of sacrifices 3 ½ years after His anointing. Exactly 3 ½ years later, in 31 AD, during Passover the Messiah was killed, hung on a cross for the forgiveness of our sins.
The fourth part of this prophecy was the 3 ½ years left for the nation to accept the Messiah, but at the end of the 3 ½ yeas, which was the end of the 490 years of the prophecy, in 34 AD, instead of accepting the Messiah they began to kill His followers. This caused them to leave Israel and begin sharing God's love with the gentiles. In this one vision there were 5 specific prophecies fulfilled pinpointing Yeshua as the Jewish Messiah.
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