[ נגיד, nāghı̄dh, “leader,” “ruler”, “noble”, “prince.” Of royal lineage. Prince or King]This “day” that Luke (and John) is referring to is what Daniel talked about when he said “Know and understand this: From the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there shall be seven sevens, and sixty two sevens . . . After sixty two sevens, the Anointed One will be cut off and will have nothing.
Daniel 9:25-26
This passage or concept is referred to as “ the seventy weeks of Daniel” . This relates both to the first coming of the Messiah and the Second Coming of the Messiah.
From the command to rebuild Jerusalem until the time when the Anointed One (the Messiah) comes will be 7 sevens and 62 sevens. We have a 69-week period of years and then a gap and then the 70th week. The 70th week refers to the Messiah’s coming again. We can calculate the time between when the decree was issued to when the Anointed One comes down to the day. There are 69 weeks of years: that is typical of how a Hebrew prophetic time is viewed – in weeks of years. So it is 69 x 7 x 360. Which comes to 173,880 days.
If you are tracking with me you may think I am trying to trick you on this one. Ian, we know there are 365 days in a year. But Daniel’s prophecy was made in Babylon and the Babylonian calendar was based on a year consisting 360 days. We know the time when the command was given to rebuild Jerusalem. Artaxerxes Longimanes gave it on March 14 445BC. That is already in the history books but on the basis of the Gregorian calendar (the calendar we use) which has 365 days per year. Yes it all gets a little complicated to juggle the pieces but bear with me.
When did the Anointed One come? When did Israel recognise that Jesus Christ was the Messiah? Did Israel recognise it at His birth? The answer is “No”. The angels did, but the people didn’t. Did the people recognise it at his death? No, only a Roman Soldier acknowledged He was a Son of God, meaning something different to what Jesus was intending. When did Israel recognise it? During the Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem. That’s when the nation of Israel; the people who were present stood along the roads and called out, Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. And that is the very statement lifted out of the Old Testament that applies to Messiah. Here are Jewish people, standing along the road into Jerusalem chanting out this message, straight from the Old Testament.
When was Jesus Christ crucified? There is controversy over this? Was it 31 AD, 32AD, 33AD or 34AD? Well let’s assume it was 32 AD. Luke 3:1 records Jesus ministry began in the 15th year of Tiberius. Tiberius Caesar was appointed in 14 AD. Thus the beginning of the 15th year Tiberius would have been within the year 28 AD-29 AD in the Gregorian calendar. The Passover of the year AD 32 would have been Jesus fourth Passover of ministry, and thus his last one. The one on which he was crucified – AD 32! If it was that year then we know the day of the High Sabbath – in the Passion Week. It was April 6th 32 AD! How do we know that? Because the stars in the heavens are so accurate and precise in their movements that astronomers can plot the movements of planets and stars in the heavens over the centuries because they are so predictable.
If we calculate the days from March 14 445BC through to April 6 32AD we end up with 173,740 days. That is 476 years times 365 days in a year. [We have to use a 365 day Gregorian calendar, because that is the calendar used when those days were written in the history books.] Then we must take into account the difference between March 14th and April 6: giving us 24 additional days. We add together the leap years in that period of time, 116 of them, and we end up remarkably with 173,880 days.
I get real excited about that, why? Do you see the point? It substantiates exactly what Luke is saying. That is why Luke is making the changes in his Gospel. He is picking out a very strong Hebrew statement from Daniel 9 that refers to Ha Meshiah Nagith (Messiah, the Prince) // Messiah, the Coming King. Luke picks up the word prince / king out of Daniel 9, and puts it in his gospel. And he says to them if you had only known what would bring you peace today, but you didn’t know it and you totally missed the day of the coming King. And when is he saying this? Related to the day of the Triumphal Entry! This was the predetermined day for the revealing of the Messiah publicly and hence John’s theme – “the time is not yet come”. Absolutely amazing! Not only that but what Daniel wrote 600 years before Christ came was fulfilled to the day at the Triumphal Entry. Now that is spectacular!
Do you realize that the common denominator in all your bad relationships is you?
Anon
Today will you complain or contribute? Compete or cooperate? Criticize or compliment? Crush or create? Curse or cheer?
Anon
My last job was working at Starbucks, but I had to quit because it was always the same old grind.