Part 2 — NOTE F. DATE OF THE CRUCIFIXION. [DANIEL IX. 26.]

Since the prophecy of Daniel points directly to the time when Messiah would be cut off and not to the date of Christ’s birth, it is evident that neither the natal day nor the length of his life on earth are necessary to a complete understanding of the prophecy. What we need most to know are the day and the year in which Messiah was crucified. Happily these points can be determined by data found in the Bible. Turn to Luke III. 1 and 23 and we learn that Jesus “began to be about 30 years of age” in the 15th year of Tiberius Caesar. Not that Jesus attained the age of 30 in the 15th year of Tiberius, but that when the last day of the 15th year arrived, viz: Aug. 18th A.D. 29, Jesus was VERY NEAR 30 years old. His birthday anniversary therefore comes in the Fall of the year. From that time on, we count 3½ years to his crucifixion in A.D. 33. We learn from the parable of the barren fig tree, also from Daniel’s prophecy that Messiah’s ministry would last one-half a prophetic week, or 3½ years. The parable itself accounts for 3 years: “Behold these three years I come seeking fruit and find none;” and since the parable was given, about the time of the harvest home, or feast of tabernacles, another half year was necessary to carry the time over from the feast of tabernacles to the following Passover. When this was completed his ministry ended. At the very outset of our Lord’s ministry he spoke of the work before him and proclaimed God’s good pleasure in sending him, to preach the gospel to the poor, to heal the broken hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, the recovery of sight to the blind, and to set at liberty them that are bruised. [Luke IV. 18.] With this ministry expressive of God’s favor, He then contrasted the ministry of Elias, expressive of God’s displeasure “when the heaven was shut up 3 YEARS AND SIX MONTHS, when great famine was throughout the land.” This reference seems to have been a sign as to the exact length of time Christ’s ministry would continue on earth, precisely as the experience of Jonah in the fish was a sign of the length of time Christ would remain “in the heart of the earth.” [Matthew XII. 40.] But the strongest evidence is furnished by the 4 Passovers which were celebrated during the period of said ministry.

The years therefore ran as follows:—

Christ began his ministry when 30 years old Fall A.D. 29

1st Passover John II. 13 Spring ” 30

2nd ” ” V. 1 ” ” 31

3rd ” ” VI. 4 ” ” 32

4th ” ” XI. 55 ” ” 33

As regards the exact date of the fourth Passover we know by astronomy that there was a full moon at 4.15 P.M. on Friday April 3 A.D. 33. On that day therefore Messiah was “cut off.”

At this point let us glance backward 490 years, or 70 weeks to the Passover of B.C. 458, and we shall meet the children of Israel making their Exodus from Persia [Ezra VIII. 31] “going forth” under the leadership of Ezra, by “commandment” of Artaxerxes ordering them “to restore and to build Jerusalem.” In view of this marvellous fulfilment of prophecy, how frivolous do seem the charges of those who claim that the Book of Daniel is—“a bundle of loose leaves”—“a consolatory political pamphlet”—and “written as historic fiction in 168-165 B.C.” Pretty good fiction, is it not? for one writing in B.C. 168 to make declaration that a certain event, figured from a given starting point, would positively take place at the end of 490 years! We have many writers of historic fiction in our own day, but none so venturesome as “the chief of the governors over all the wise men of Babylon.” Those who call the predictions found in the Book of Daniel—“historic fiction”—simply destroy the meaning of words and pour contempt upon the Word of God.

Our explanation robs the IXth chapter of Daniel of all its mystery and shows why the LORD called him “Daniel the PROPHET.”

CHRONOLOGY.