Friday, May 4, 2018

When Did Jesus Die and When Was He Born?

Concept:

  • When did Jesus Die?
    1. Nineveh
    2. Passover (Jewish Easter)
      • The sign of Jonah
      • Jesus' Ministry
      • Reflections
    3. Herod's Temple
    4. John the Baptist
    5. The 69 Weeks in the Book of Daniel
      • Jerusalem would be restored
      • The 70th week
  • When was Jesus born?
  • End of Time


When did Jesus Die?


Five proofs that Jesus was crucified 30 AD:


1) Nineveh


Jonah preached that Nineveh would be destroyed after 40 days (Jonah 3:4), see
The Book of Jonah. There are biblical texts that state that the number of days for an event can be interpreted as the number of years for a future event 
(Ezekiel 4:6, Num (4 Mos) 14:34). 

Jonah's warning to the people in Nineveh can be compared with Jesus' warning to the Jewish people (Mat 24:15–20, Mark 13:14–18, Luk 21:20–24, 23:28–31).
These verses also point to the end of time, see "The law of double reference" described in Visions and Dreams by Prophet Daniel.

The sailors who threw Jonah out of the boat asked the Lord for help, and were rescued (Jonah 1:14–16). Jesus forgave those who crucified him (Luk 23:34a), see The Crucifixion of Jesus.

The temple was destroyed (Mat 24:1–2, Mark 13:1–2, Luk 21:5–6) and Jerusalem fell (Luk 19:41–44) in 70 AD, see The Parable of the Tenants. 40 years earlier,
30 AD, may be when Jesus was crucified. The 40 years corresponds to Nineveh
which would be destroyed after 40 days. 

2) Passover (Jewish Easter)


The sign of Jonah

Passover (also called Pesach) lasts only one day, the 14th day of the Hebrew month of Nisan. It marks God's deliverance of the people of Israel from their bondage in Egypt. Immediately after Passover comes the Feast of the Unleavened Bread
(the Feast of Matzo) which lasts for seven days, with the first day (15th)
and last day (21st) being holy days. Sometimes this entire period is called Passover.
This gives a period of eight days beginning with a Preparation Day
on the 14th of the month Nisan (Passover) and ends on the 21st.
(Exo (2 Mos) 12:5–18, Lev (3 Mos) 23:5–8, Num (4 Mos) 9:2–5, 28:16–18, 25).
The 15th and 21st of the month of Nisan are extra Sabbaths.
In this text, the 15th of Nisan is called the "great Sabbath".

See the Passover explained in Moses; Part 7: The 10th Plague.

It was during the Preparation Day (Passover) on Nisan 14 that Jesus was crucified (John 19:14a, 31, Luke 23:53–54).

In Israel of today, Passover is the seven-day holiday of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the first and last days of which are observed as legal holidays and as
holy days (15th and 21st) with holy meals, special prayer services, and 
abstinence from work. See also Holidays and observances in Israel. 

A Jewish day begins at sunset and begins with night followed by day. Jesus was in the tomb night and day, the Jewish Thursday, Friday and Saturday,
three nights and three days, the sign of Jonah. Jesus rose on the third day
(Luke 24:7). He rose Saturday evening, just before sunset. God removed the stone by his angel on Sunday morning so that the women could see that the tomb was empty (Mat 28:1–6), see The Resurrection of Jesus.

Jesus said that the only sign that the humans would receive was the sign of Jonah
(Mat 12:39, 16:4, Luk 11:29–30), see The Book of Jonah. As Jonah was in the belly of the fish for three days and three nights, Jesus would be in the grave for three days and three nights before rising from the dead
(Mat 12:40, Jonah 1:17 (2:1 in some translations)).
It wasn't about the character of Jonah.

This was something Jesus had foretold to his disciples on several occasions:
But Jesus death was concealed for the disciples so that they couldn't perceive it, even though Jesus emphasized the importance of listening carefully to what he said. (Luk 9:44–45), see time 26:56–31:45 in Luke 9 (Part 4) :37-55 • The Natural Man.

The women bought oil for Jesus' body the day after the "great Sabbath" (Mark 16:1). They prepared the spices and ointments the day before the weekly Sabbath (Saturday) and then rested that Sabbath (Luke 23:56).
Early in the morning on the first day of the week (Sunday) they went to the tomb
(Mat 28:1). This means that there must have been a working day between the "great Sabbath" and the weekly Sabbath (Saturday), which means that the "great Sabbath" was on a Thursday. The crucifixion must then have taken place the day before on a Wednesday from 9 AM to 3 PM with the burial in the evening just before sunset when the "great Sabbath" began, see The Crucifixion of Jesus. 

See this explained in the short videos: 
The Preparation Day (Passover) was on a Wednesday in the years:
27, 30, and 34 AD, see Jewish Calendar (in Swedish). 
See also Reconstructed Hebrew Almanac of 30 AD (in English). 

If Jesus was crucified in 30 AD, it was on Wednesday, April 5th. 
If counting 3.5 years back, Jesus began his ministry in early October 26 AD.

Jesus' Ministry


The Gospel of John mentions three Passover celebrations in Jerusalem that Jesus visited. These celebrations took place once a year in the spring: 
  • At the beginning of his ministry (John 2:13, 23). 
  • Halfway through his ministry (John 6:4). 
  • At the end of his ministry when he was crucified (John 11:55, 12:1). 
The traditional view is that Jesus' ministry lasted 3.5 years. This also fits well with the 70th annual "week" of 7 years, mentioned below in Daniel's book (Dan 9:27). After half the time, that's 3.5 years, Jesus was crucified.

Reflections


The disciples ate the Passover lamb at the end of the day on a Tuesday evening according to our time. For the Jews, it was at the beginning of Wednesday Nisan 14 since the Jewish day begins at sunset, that is, 6 hours before our day. 

I use our time in this article: Jesus was in the tomb for three days and three nights, that is from Wednesday evening to Saturday evening, when he rose. Early on Sunday morning an angel came and moved the stone away so the women could see the tomb was empty, see The Resurrection of Jesus. 

One question is why did the women gather oil and spices on Friday to anoint Jesus when there was a large stone in front of the tomb opening, the stone was sealed and the tomb was guarded by Roman soldiers (Mark 16:3)? They were probably unaware that the stone was sealed and that the tomb was guarded by Roman soldiers. God probably inspired them to do this act to get people to testify that the tomb was empty and that Jesus had risen. If they didn't go there, who would have seen that the tomb was empty and was ready to testify about it? These women were probably more receptive to going there than the disciples. That the twelve disciples were all men is probably because it was convenient at the time they lived. God is practical. 

For information on the biblical timeline see Biblical Timeline.
(It also gives the date of 30 AD for the crucifixion.)
For information about the chronological Bible, see Chronological Bible.

3) Herod's Temple

Herod the Great began building on the Second Temple (Herod's Temple) in the
18th year of his reign (that's 20/19 BC) according to the historian Josephus,
see architectural achievements. The temple was then renovated and expanded,
see time 5:34–7:54 in Matthew 24:1-20 – The Temple and the Key Prophetic Sign. 

Jesus first temple cleansing took place 46 years later (John 2:15–21), see Jesus Cleanses the Temple in Jesus' Last Days before his Crucifixion. This gives the date 26/27 AD (46-20/19+1=26/27) since there is no year 0 between 1 BC and 1 AD. This first temple cleansing occurred at the beginning of Jesus' ministry. Jesus was crucified 3.5 years later (26.5+3.5=30) which gives the date 30 AD.

4) John the Baptist


John the Baptist began his ministry in the 15th year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius (Luk 3:1–2). Tiberius ruled 12–37 AD, the first two years together with his stepfather Augustus, who died in 14 AD. This gives the year 26 AD when including year 12 as the first year of Tiberius' reign ((12-1)+15=26). Year 26 AD is also the year when Jesus was baptized, about half a year after John began his ministry. It was also the year when Pontius Pilate began his rule as Roman prefect over Judea (26–36 AD). Since Jesus was crucified 3.5 years later (26.5+3.5=30), this means that Jesus was crucified in 30 AD.

Several scholars interpret Luk 3:1–2 as counting from year 14 AD when Augustus
died, and comes to the year 28 AD as the year that John began his ministry. Assuming that John the Baptist began his ministry 6 months before Jesus
(John was born 6 months before Jesus), we arrive at 32 AD (28.5+3.5)
as the year when Jesus was crucified. But in 32 AD doesn't match with the
other dates in this article on the crucifixion of Jesus.

5) The 69 Weeks in the Book of Daniel


Jerusalem would be restored


The time begins and ends as follows: 
  1. "Know and understand this: From the time the word goes out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be seven 'sevens,' and sixty-two 'sevens.' It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble." (Dan 9:25 (NIV)).
  2. "Know therefore and understand that from the going out of the word to restore and build Jerusalem to the coming of an anointed one, a prince, there shall be seven weeks. Then for sixty-two weeks it shall be built again with squares and moat, but in a troubled time." (Dan 9:25 (ESV)).
  3. "And thou shalt know and understand, that from the going forth of the command for the answer and for the building of Jerusalem until Christ the prince seven weeks, and sixty-two weeks; and then shall return, and the street shall be built, and the wall, and the times shall be exhausted."
    (Dan 9:25     (LXX)).
Dan 9:25 in Daniel's book addresses 7+62 "weeks", that is 69 "weeks". The word translated "week" can also be translated to "sevens", see Dan 9:25 (NIV) above.
See "week" explained at time 10:21–12:54 in Bible Q & A with Pastor Paul.
A day of this "week" can therefore be seen as an expression of a year.
69 "weeks" is 483 (69x7) days, which then corresponds to 483 years. 

Such commands were given on the following occasions: 
  1. By Cyrus 537 BC (Ezra 1:1–4, 2 Chr 36:22–23).
    Cyrus issued a decree for Zerubbabel to rebuild the temple.
    The Jewish people were allowed to go back to their homeland.
  2. By Artaxerxes to Ezra 457 BC (Ezra 4:21, 7:11–28).
    This king had previously prevented the rebuilding of Jerusalem (Ezra 4:21).
    He issues a decree in a letter to Ezra (Ezra 7:11–13).The content of the letter is mainly related to the temple but in practice means that the rebuilding of Jerusalem can start again. If 483 years (69x7) are added we arrive at
    27 AD as the arrival of the anointed when Jesus really began his ministry (483-457+1=27 (year 0 doesn't exist)). (History has shown that Jerusalem was finally rebuilt in 408 BC, that is 49 years (7x7) after the command (457-49=408)). Since Jesus was crucified 3 years later (27+3=30), this means that Jesus was crucified in 30 AD. I think this event fits best with Dan 9:25, as this time best matches the other dates in this article. 
  3. By Artaxerxes to Nehemiah 455 BC (Neh 2:1, 5–9).
    The Hebrew word for 'trench' in Dan 9:25 (NIV), 'moat' in Dan 9:25 (ESV), and 'wall' in Neh 2:8 (NIV/ESV), are all translated in Septuagint LXX by the Greek word for 'wall'. Nehemiah received a letter to get timber for the gates, for the city wall, and for the dwelling he was to live in (Neh 2:8). If 483 years (69x7) are added, we arrive at 29 AD as the coming of the anointed, see until time 6:19 in the Seventy Weeks of the Messiah Explained Correctly. Since Jesus was crucified 3 years later (29+3=32), that would mean that Jesus was crucified in 32 AD. It doesn't match with the other dates in this article about Jesus' crucifixion. There are also other sources that give other start dates for     Neh 2:1, 5–9 making this event unsafe to use.
For more arguments for the 2nd option, see the videos:
For information on the biblical timeline see Biblical Timeline.

The 70th Week


"Week" 70 (stands for 7 years) in Daniel's book (Dan 9:24–27) has two parallel meanings. This prophetic principle of two parallel meanings is called "The law of double reference", and is described in Visions and Dreams by Prophet Daniel. 
  1. In the middle of this period, after 3.5 years, Jesus was crucified. The daily sacrifice in the temple was then no longer needed (Dan 9:27). In a sense, Jesus abolished the daily sacrifice. He established a New Covenant
    (Jer 31:31–34, Luke 22:20). After 7 years Jesus appeared to     Paul who then converted. Then began the real mission among the Gentiles; the time of the Gentiles began. The 70 "weeks" were primarily aimed at the Jews. 
  2. During the end time there will be a Tribulation period of 7 years. After 3.5 years, Antichrist sits in the temple, see this explained in Hezekiel's Temple.
    He proclaims himself as God and abolishes the daily sacrifice (2 Thess 2:4). Then the Great Tribulation begins, and will last for 3.5 years  (Dan 12:11–12), see The End Times in     The Prophecies of Isaiah, and Jesus returns.
    See time 47:36–59:24 in     Daniel's AMAZING 70-Week Prophecy EXPLAINED!
(Jewish time begins on October 7, 3761 BC. The Israelites use two calendar systems, one that begins in the fall and one that begins in the spring. Their calendar originally began in the fall (October). But after the Lord brought the children of Israel out of Egypt a change was made in their reckoning of the year so that the first month (Nisan) was in the spring (Exo (2 Mos) 12:2, 13:3–4, Neh 2:1, Esther 3:7).
This affects the calculation of the 70-year period at the Babylonian captivity,
see When Was Judah's 70-Year Babylonian Captivity? in The Book of Habakkuk).


When was Jesus born?


Jesus was born: 
  • During the reign of emperor Augustus. 
    Augustus reigned from 27 BC to his death in 14 AD. 
  • When Quirinius was ruler (Greek hegemon) in Syria. 
    Quirinius was the Roman emperor's special envoy in Syria in the years 12 BC to 16 AD. He held a ruling position in the area on two occasions, first over the Syrian province of Cilicia in the years surrounding Herod's death. 
  • When Herod the Great was king of Judea. 
    Herod died shortly after a lunar eclipse. The only lunar eclipse during
    the period in question took place in March of 4 BC. 
  • In connection with a tax attribution described as "the first". Emperor Augustus ordered a national census according to his memoirs in
    8 BC. According to the sixth-century historian     John Malalas, the order for
    this first taxation (Luk 2:1–5) was official in July 5 BC.
    (The second taxation (Acts 5:37) took place in 6–7 AD.)
Jesus was probably born some time between the spring of 5 BC and the spring of
4 BC. That is, after Quirinius took over as ruler in Syria (Cilicia) and before Herod
died. The sheep were out at the time Jesus was born (the shepherds used to bring their sheep in for the winter around mid-October). This makes us end up in
the autumn of 5 BC as the most likely moment of Jesus' birth. 

The month of birth can be calculated by starting at the conception of
John the Baptist, adding 6 months to arrive at Gabriel’s announcement of of Jesus' conception, and then adding 9 more months for the pregnancy. John's father Zechariah belonged to Abijah's division (Luk 1:5a, 8). It was the eight of 24 divisions
(1 Chron 24:10) and would serve in the temple in June. When his term of service was ended, he went to his home and his wife Elizabeth became pregnant
(Luk 1:23-25). In the sixth month (December–January) the angel Gabriel 
was sent to Mary (Luk 1:26–27, 31). Nine months later, Jesus was born.
It gives the approximate date of September–October as the birth of Jesus. 

This means that Jesus was probably 30 years old in the fall of 26 BC (there is no year 0) (26+5-1=30). Jesus was about 30 years old when he was baptized by 
John the Baptist according to Luke 3:23. Jesus' ministry lasted 3.5 years and ended with the crucifixion that took place in 30 AD. Jesus was then about 33.5 years old.
See also The Christmas Star.

End of Time


The end of time is described in The Book of Revelation, the Return of Jesus,
and at The End Times in The Prophecies of Isaiah. 

There are several interpretations about the time between the two interpretations above of the 70th "week", see "The 70th Week" described above. These
interpretations are based on Hosea 6:1–2. A day in these Bible verses can be interpreted as 1000 years according to 2 Pet 3:8–9 and Psalm 90:4. 

My personal opinion about this time is as follows: There could be 2000 years between these two interpretations of the 70th "week", that is, 2000 years from the time Jesus began his ministry until the Tribulation period begins. It will last for seven years after which Jesus returns, followed by the millennial kingdom when Jesus reigns. If so, the Tribulation period begins in 2026 AD, and Jesus returns in October 2033 AD (April 2030 + 3.5 years (Dan 12:11–12)). Because Jesus was probably born in the fall 5 BC, he may have been born in October, which means he may come back on his birthday. It may also be on the Jewish Feast of Trumpets
(Rosh Hashanah) (Joel 2:1, Zephaniah 1:14, 16), see 7. The Feast of Trumpets
in Moses; Part 16: The Festivals of Israel.

If that interpretation is correct, and a world ruler rises in great power in April
2030 AD when the Great Tribulation begins, it's likely to be Antichrist (Rev 13:5).
See Who is the End Time Antichrist? 

The time of Jesus' second coming is considered unknown, as Jesus said that his return is like a thief in the night (Mat 24:36–44, Mark 13:32–37, Luk 21:34–36,
Rev 3:1–6). But these verses are most likely about the Rapture. 
Paul's writing in 1 Thess 4:13–5:8 can be interpreted as the time of his return at the Rapture is unknown even to believers, but when the Rapture occurs it won't come as a surprise to believers, see time 13:48–17:07 in Revelation 3 (Rev 3:3). 

When Jesus returns to Earth he will also come as a thief (Ref 16:15), see time 37:14–38:06 in September 2024 Bible Q&A. Here it means that it will be a surprise for the unbelievers and for those who aren't ready for his coming. But at least when we reach the seven-year Tribulation period it's possible to calculate the date when he returns if we can figure out when the Tribulation period begins, see more about this in What is Babylon in the Book of Revelation?

It's wise of God to hide the date of Jesus' return to Earth because it could undermine God's work if people knew that it would take so long after Jesus' crucifixion for Jesus to return. God wants us to always be ready for his coming as he could come at any time (Mat 24:45–51), see The Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins, and time 
15:24–17:39 in Matthew 24:1-20 – The Temple and the Key Prophetic Sign.
It changes the way we live in everyday life. We think twice before we act, if it's really the right thing to do, see The Seven Churches in the Book of Revelation. However, it's not surprising if the date is revealed at the end of the last days as we approach the second coming of Jesus. However, it should be treated as a possible date and not as an absolute date, see time 19:01–20:17 in
Matthew 24:1-20–The Temple and the Key Prophetic Sign.

Giving a date when Jesus might return is an example of a controversial issue,
see Disputable Matters in The Book of Romans. It's not decisive for salvation.

See also Some stories in the gospels at the end of The Four Gospels.
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