Bible Chronology Timeline

11. FULFILLMENT OF DANIEL’S PROPHECY

“But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law” Galatians 4:4.

2300 Years Until Judgment

The Word of God’s most glorious prophecy is that concerning God’s everlasting plan of salvation in the life of our Lord Jesus. The climax of this prophecy is detailed by chronological and prophetic wisdom in the book of Daniel. The Prophet Daniel presents in detail how to count the years in order to reach the chronological year for the anointing of Jesus the Messiah, also the year of the Lord’s sacrifice, and the period of time determined for the Jewish nation when the Gospel went to the Gentiles.

End of 70 Years Jerusalem Desolation Landmark for 2300 Year Prophecy

We have seen in chapter seven that Cyrus’ decree was the landmark for counting and understanding the longest time prophecy of Daniel 8:14. The Chronicles of the kings of Israel assert the fact that the Persian King Cyrus is the one who decreed to restore and to build Jerusalem and the temple. This decree also fulfilled Jeremiah’s prophecy when he prophesied of Jerusalem: “this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment...” (Jeremiah 25:11), until “…when seventy years are accomplished…” (Jeremiah 25:12). It was of Cyrus that Isaiah had prophesied centuries before his birth: “I have raised him up in righteousness, and I will direct all his ways: he shall build my city, and he shall let go my captives” (Isaiah 45:13). And when the time had come, the prophecy was fulfilled when Cyrus decreed the liberation of the exile Hebrew nation. Cyrus’ edict also assured the Jews’ liberty to restore Jerusalem and the temple. So the Chronicles link together in one decree the two events: the liberation of the Jewish exiles and the laying of the temple’s corner stone. That decree is therefore the starting point to count the number of years for the fulfillment of Daniel’s prophecy of the Messiah, and also for the counting of the 2300 year prophecy until the beginning of Judgment in Heaven.

Cyrus’ decree (See 2 Chronicles 36:22-23) reiterates the fact that the prophecy concerned was not just the seventy years for the desolation of Jerusalem and the Babylonian captivity, but more importantly the foundation stone for the temple (see Isaiah 44:28). This decree is what Daniel referred to as “the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem” (Daniel 9:25). The wording of the decree is rewritten in the writings of Ezra 1:1-2, so that this historical landmark should not be forgotten by future generations of believers.

The 2300 Years Prophecy Reaches Year 6000

Cyrus performed all the pleasure of the Lord (Isaiah 44:28). He passed the decree to rebuild the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem exactly in the year 3700. This was the same year in which Daniel the prophet prayed earnestly to God for the prophecy of Jeremiah to be fulfilled that there should be only seventy years for the desolation of Jerusalem. Daniel also prayed that Jeremiah’s prophecy should be fulfilled as the Lord had revealed because in that very chronological year 3700 God alerted himl to the fact that there is another time prophecy pertaining to God’s everlasting plan of salvation. This prophecy perplexed Daniel because of the span of time that it encompassed, which would elongate the chronology of this world’s history by 2300 years (Daniel 8:14), thus, reaching, the year 6000.

 3700 + 2300 = 6000

But Daniel was worried about the fulfillment of God’s word and requested God’s clemency as he pleaded on behalf of Israel that their sins be forgiven. Daniel knew that Israel’s apathy towards God’s prophecies would bring about a postponement of God’s promise for Israel’s liberation from Babylonian exile.

Although Daniel was waiting for the liberation of the people of Israel from Babylon, his hope of all hopes was nothing less than the coming of the Messiah. So when God revealed to Daniel that there would be 483 years into the future until the Messiah (Daniel 9:24), he was disheartened because of the promise’s prolongation. But more than that, having to wait 2300 years until the cleansing of the sanctuary, which Daniel knew meant the time of God’s judgment, was difficult to bear, as he was told: “…Understand, O son of man: for at the time of the end shall be the vision” (Dan 8:17). Daniel fainted and was sick several days (Daniel 8:27).

The angel explained to Daniel that seventy weeks were determined for his people Israel (Daniel 9:24). Seventy weeks in Bible prophecy is equivalent to 490 years.

 70 x 7 = 490 Years

Now if we add the 490 years of Daniel 9:24 to the chronological year 3700 when Cyrus decreed the rebuilding of the temple, it will take us to the chronological year 4190. This was the year when the prophecy of Daniel 9:24 was fulfilled. Namely, that the time determined for the people of Israel was over. The Hebrews had forfeited the blessing of the Gospel and it was given over to the Gentiles. Israel sealed their rejection of the Gospel; firstly because they crucified the Lord Jesus and secondly because they had martyred Stephen in the year 4190 which corresponds to the year 34 A.D.

 3700 + 490 = 4190

In the chronological year 6000 the prophecy of Daniel 8:14 regarding the 2300 years was fulfilled. This was the year 1844 A.D. when the judgment began in the Heavenly Sanctuary. Now, in order to corroborate that the year 6000 is equivalent to the year 1844 A.D., let us do an arithmetical subtraction. Let us subtract from the chronological year 6000 of the prophecy in Daniel 8:14 the chronological year 4190 of the prophecy in Daniel 9:24. The difference is a total of 1810 years.

 6000 - 4190 = 1810 years

Now because the chronological year 4190 is equivalent to the year 34 A.D., if we add to the year 34 A.D. those 1810 years, which is the mathematical difference of the previous subtraction, then we reach the year 1844 A.D. Therefore 1844 A.D. was not only the year 6000, but also the year when the prophecy of the 2300 years of Daniel 8:14 was fulfilled and Judgment was inaugurated by our High Priest Jesus in the Most Holy Place of the Heavenly Sanctuary.

 70 x 7 = 490 years
 3700 + 490 = 4190
 6000 - 4190 = 1810 years
 A.D. 34 + 1810 = 1844 A.D.

Isaiah’s Prophecy of Jesus’ Birth Fulfilled in 4153 (3 B.C.)

Isaiah prophesied about “the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace,” given to us as a child (Isaiah 9:6). This prophecy was fulfilled in the chronological year 4153. Let us do some calculations to confirm the date of Jesus’ birth. The Lord Jesus was baptized in the chronological year 4183 at the age of 30 years (Luke 3:23). By knowing the prophecies of Daniel we can calculate the exact year when the Lord was born. That is how the faithful prophets, the shepherds, and the wise men from the east knew about Jesus’ birth at the exact time of the prophecy’s fulfillment. Knowing that the Lord Jesus was baptized in the chronological year 4183, we then subtract from it the 30 years of the Lord’s age on the day of His baptism to give us the chronological year 4153 when He was born.

 4183 - 30 = 4153

Given that the chronological year 6000 corresponds to the year 1844 A.D., biblical chronology will also confirm that the Lord Jesus’ birth year 4153 is the equivalent to the calendar year 3 B.C. Once again we do an arithmetical subtraction. We subtract from the chronological year 6000 the chronological year 4153 to give us a difference of 1847 years. Now to convert the chronological year 4153 into our current calendar we subtract from the year 1844 A.D. those 1847 years. Therefore, the chronological year 4153 equals the year 3 B.C. of our current calendar when the Lord Jesus was born.

 6000 - 4153 = 1847 years
 1844 A.D. - 1847 = 3 B.C.

Daniel’s Prophecy of Messiah Prince Fulfilled in 4183 (27 A.D.)

Having understood that the year 1844 A.D. was the year when the prophecy of Daniel 8:14 was fulfilled and that it was exactly the year 6000, it will also be corroborated that the year 27 A.D. was the year when the Lord Jesus, the Messiah Prince prophesied in Daniel 9:24-25, was anointed. Daniel prophesied that the anointing of the Messiah would take place when 69 prophetic weeks or 483 years had passed. This magnificent event took place in the chronological year 4183 when our Lord Jesus was anointed by the Holy Spirit (Luke 3:22) (Review charts).

Let us do some arithmetic calculations. First, we multiply the 69 prophetic weeks by 7 days to give us a total 483 days or prophetic years. Then, if we add the 483 years to the chronological year 3700 (year when the prophecy set off), we find that it takes us to the chronological year 4183 when the Messiah was anointed.

 69 x 7 = 483 years
 3700 + 483 = 4183

Now if from the chronological year 6000 we subtract the chronological year 4183 when our Lord Jesus was baptized, we get a difference of 1817 years.

But now we are going to use the year 1844 A.D. of our modern calendar in combination with the difference of those two chronological years (6000-4183 = 1817) to confirm that the year 27 A.D. is the exact date when the Lord Jesus was anointed. This process will further confirm the truthfulness of the year 1844 A.D. as the exact date for the fulfillment of Daniel 8:14. Up to this point, we have rightfully ascertained that the chronological year 6000 is equivalent to the year 1844 A.D., and now we will see how that year also confirms the date of the Lord’s anointing. The arithmetic once again is easy to understand; all we need to do is subtract from the year 1844 A.D. those 1817 years and it will give us a difference of 27 A.D., which was the year when the Messiah Jesus was baptized and anointed.

 6000 - 4183 = 1817 years
 1844 A.D. - 1817 years = 27 A.D.

What was the Year 456 B.C.?

It has been shown in chapter 7 of this book that in the chronological year 3700 Isaiah’s prophecy about King Cyrus was fulfilled. In that year King Cyrus issued the decree to build the temple and to liberate Israel from Babylonian captivity. To Daniel it was revealed that the year 3700 when Cyrus issued the magnanimous decree, (“the going forth of the commandment to restore and rebuild Jerusalem” Daniel 9:25) was the date to begin counting the years until the manifestation of the Messiah.

To understand Cyrus’ chronological year 3700 in our modern calendar we have to resort to the Biblical data that has been given us regarding the time when the Lord Jesus was anointed. We know that Jesus was anointed to the ministry in the chronological year 4183, which corresponds to our modern calendar year 27 A.D.

To Daniel it was revealed that the Messiah would be manifested to Israel when 483 years would have passed. This prophecy was fulfilled in the year 4183 (27 A.D.) when Jesus was baptized. Now to confirm the exact year when Cyrus performed all the pleasure of God (Isaiah 44:28) by issuing the decreed we work with the number 27 and 483. Therefore, from the year 27A.D. we subtract those 483 years and it will take us to the corresponding year 456 B.C. of our current world calendar.

 A.D. 27 - 483 = 456 B.C.

Now we understand that the year 3700 when Cyrus granted Israel’s freedom and the right to rebuild the temple (Isaiah 44:28;45:13) corresponds to the year 456 B.C., the starting date of Daniel 8:14. This prophecy will be further developed in a later chapter. But for the moment let us corroborate that date from another arithmetical point of view.

At this point you will understand how vital it is to rely solely on the Word of God. If from the chronological year 6000 we subtract the chronological year 3700 it gives us the difference of 2300 years of Daniel 8:14. Now, if we subtract from 1844 A.D. those 2300 years we get the difference of 456 B.C.

 6000 - 3700 = 2300 years
 1844 A.D. - 2300 = 456 B.C.

Prophecy of the Lord Jesus’s Sacrifice Fulfilled in 4187 (31 A.D.)

To Daniel it was revealed that starting from the year when Cyrus decreed to restore Jerusalem until the sacrifice of the Messiah there would be sixty nine and a half prophetic weeks. Daniel 9:25-27 reveals that the Messiah was sacrificed in the middle of the prophetic week number 70; that is, in the middle of the last seven years of the overall period of 490 years determined for the Jews. The middle of 7 can neither be 4 nor 3 but 3.5. Therefore, the year 31 A.D. is the year that fulfils the prophecy and it has to be taken from the first part of the year 31 A.D., which corresponds to the chronological year 4187.

Given that the prophecy of Daniel 8:14 was fulfilled in the chronological year 6000 (1844 A.D.), we subtract from 6000 the chronological year 4187 of Jesus’ crucifixion to get the difference of 1813 years. Then to convert the chronological year 4187 into our modern calendar year we subtract from our calendar year 1844 A.D. those 1813 years to give us the difference of 31 A.D.

 6000 - 4187 = 1813 years
 1844 A.D. - 1813 = 31 A.D.

Once again this biblical chronology confirms the truthfulness of our faith in the year 31 A.D. as the year when our Lord Jesus was sacrificed.

Gospel to Gentiles Year 4190 (34 A.D.)

Daniel was told by the angel: “Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy” (Daniel 9:24).

Those 70 prophetic weeks represent a span of 490 years for the Gospel to be preached to the people of Israel, until they would it and seal their rejection with the persecution of the church, and in particular with the stoning to death of Stephen (Acts 7:59). Paul, who later converted to the Gospel of our Lord Jesus, consented to Stephen’s death: “at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles” (Acts 8:1). Moreover, Paul “made havoc of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison” (Acts 8:3). From then on the everlasting righteousness spoken of by Daniel was preached to the Gentiles as the 490 years or 70 prophetic weeks of Daniel 9:24 had been fulfilled for the people of Israel. “Therefore they that were scattered abroad went everywhere preaching the word (Acts 8:4).

Applying Ezekiel’s principle that in prophecy a day is equivalent to a year, we conclude that Daniel is speaking of 490 years assigned for the Gospel to be preached to the people of Israel. Those 490 years were cut off from the longer period of 2300 years, and they are also counted from the chronological year 3700 when Cyrus decreed to restore and to build Jerusalem. If we add the 490 years to the chronological year 3700 of Daniel 9:24 we come to the chronological year 4190.

 70 x 7 = 490
 3700 + 490 = 4190

To convert the chronological year 4190 into the current calendar system we subtract from the chronological year 6000 the chronological year 4190 to get a difference of 1810 years. Then, from the year 1844 A.D. we subtract those 1810 years and it will rightly take us to the year 34 A.D. when the Gospel was taken from the Jews and given to the Gentiles.

 6000 - 4190 = 1810 years
 1844 A.D. -1810 = 34 A.D.

Chart of Prophetic Calculations

PROPHECY	FULFILMENT	CALCULATIONS	TEXT	YEAR
King Cyrus’ Decree	Temple’s Foundation 3700 = 456 B.C.	6000 - 3700 = 2300 A.D. 1844 - 2300 = 456 B.C.	Daniel 8:14 Daniel 9:25	3700 (456 B.C.)
2nd Jewish Temple 7x7 = 49 Years	Temple Finished 3700 + 49 = 3749	FROM GOING FORTH OF DECREE 6000 - 3749 = 2251 1844 A.D. -2251 = 407	Daniel 9:25	3749 (407 B.C.)
Jesus’ Birth	The year of Jesus’ Baptism in 4183 He was 30 years old	4183 - 30 = 4153 Jesus Birth Year 6000 - 4153 = 1847 1844 A.D. - 1847 = 3 B.C.	Luke 3:23	4153 (3 B.C.)
Jesus in the Temple	Jesus was 12 Years of Age	6000-4165 = 1835 1844 A.D.-1835= 9 A.D.	Luke 2:41 Luke 2:42	4165 (9 A.D.)
Anointment 69 weeks 69x7 = 483 Years	of Jesus Cyrus’ decree 3700 + 483 = 4183 (27A.D.)	ANOINT THE MOST HOLY 6000 - 4183 = 1817A.D. 1844 - 1817 Years = 27A.D.	Daniel 9:24, 25	4183 (27 A.D.)
Crucifixion of Jesus 31/2 “weeks”	69 x 7 = 483 Half week equals 3.5 483 + 3.5 = 486.5 (31 A.D.)	MESSIAH CAUSED SACRIFICE TO CEASE 6000 - 4186.5 = 1813.5 1844 A.D. - 1813.5 = 30.5 OR 31 (Half of 7 is 31/2)	Daniel 9:27	4187 (31 A.D.)
Martyrdom of Stephen 70 Weeks 70 x 7= 490 Years	3700 + 490 = 4190 (34 A.D.)	6000 - 4190 = 1810 1844 A.D. -1810 = 34 A.D. GOSPEL TO GENTILES	Daniel 9:24	4190 (34 A.D.)
INVESTIGATIVE JUDGMENT 6000 = 1844 A.D.	TIME OF THE END 3700 + 2300 = 6000 (1844 A.D.)	6000 - 4190 = 1810 2300 - 490 = 1810 (see Stephens Stoning year) A.D. 34 + 1810 = 1844 A.D.	Daniel 8:14	6000 (1844 AD)

The following chart is to simplify the chronology and prophecy of Daniel 8:14 regarding the Messiah.

Chronologies of the Mysteries of God - Page 12