Could someone predict your birth? Uh, Rudy Rangel, could someone predict your birth? He stepped out, I think. Where did he go? Had him in my notes here to mention him and he's not even here.  Well, Mr. Myers is here. Could anybody predict Mr. Myers' birth? Mr. Wilmouth on the front row? Sabrina back there or Kara in the back – Sabrina Peabody? Well, how about you listening in on the webcast?  Could a person predict not only your birth, but your exact employment to the very year that you would be hired – but almost five centuries in advance and give a thorough account of your job description?  This sounds very unlikely, in fact, absolutely impossible, doesn't it? Can you imagine what it would be like to grow up here in Cincinnati with the whole population knowing that you, living in this city, were prophesied centuries ago? It would certainly bring a lot of notoriety to you. But what if you also claimed that you were the Son of God? I guess it would probably eventually get you killed. 

Over the years, working for the Church, we've seen a number of self-proclaimed prophets. One fellow, who visited our offices in Pasadena wearing open sandals, head covering and a long robe, claimed to be Moses. Another, wearing what looked like a big white bed sheet, said he was Elijah. Security on campus had to usher him off. And about a dozen or so claimed to be the two witnesses. Many of them were actually in suits and ties, though I think I remember one fellow being in a burlap sack – said he was one of the two witnesses. To claim that you are a prophet of God is one thing, but to prove it is quite another. To claim that you are a resurrected character of the Bible, like Moses, of course, is ridiculous. But what if you said you are the Son of God? To claim you are God is one thing, but to convince people that you are, indeed, what you say you are is quite another. So how did Jesus' closest followers come to be so convinced of who He was that they laid down their lives for that belief?

In the sermon today we are going to look at just one particular prophecy about the ministry of Jesus Christ and I'd like for you to reflect on how it affects you. And I've titled this message, The 483-Year Prophecy and You. As we go through, you'll see why I've titled the sermon that. Many Old Testament prophecies of the Messiah were fulfilled in precise detail by Jesus of Nazareth, but at the time neither the Jews nor the disciples of Jesus understood that Jesus was fulfilling the Messianic prophecies of the Old Testament, even though at times He told them that's what He was doing. But they didn't understand it. They didn't get it. They didn't believe Him. 

Turn to Luke chapter 18 with me for a moment, because here is a good pre-Passover passage for us to read.  We are now just eight weeks from the Days of Unleavened Bread.  It's exciting when the Holy Day season comes around again, but in Luke 18:31:

Luke 18:31 – Then He took the twelve aside and said to them, "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man will be accomplished."   So He was reminding them that what was written by their prophets that they studied were actually talking about Him.  They didn't truly get it yet. "For He will be delivered to the Gentiles and will be mocked and insulted and spit upon.  They will scourge Him and kill Him. And the third day He will rise again." But they – the twelve – understood none of these things. They didn't get it. This saying was hidden from them, and they did not know the things which were spoken.

Most in Jesus' day were looking for a far different Messiah than the one so many prophecies actually described.  I think the farthest thing from the minds of the twelve was that Jesus, their faithful leader, was going to be spit upon, insulted, whipped, mocked and killed in a gruesome manor. 
Let's turn over to John chapter 5 starting in verse 37 for a moment because one of Jesus' defenses to the Jews was to appeal to the Old Testament scriptures themselves which identified Him as the One to come.  Notice what He told them in John 5:37. 

John 5:37 - The Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form. But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe...  He was speaking to the Pharisees. You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life...  they thought that if they could read those scrolls, it would get them eternal life.  And He said,  ...and these are they which testify of Me,...  Jesus said and, of course, the Pharisees were ignoring that.  It wasn't until after Jesus was resurrected that He was able to help His disciples properly understand who He was.  He began to help His disciples understand the scriptures.  That understanding came through the power of the Holy Spirit that was given to them.  And the disciples were inspired to declare that Jesus was, indeed, the Messiah.  The proof they offered was the very scriptures that they had not previously understood and, like we've said, they were willing to die for this belief. 

So, at this point, let's ask the question, is it possible that the Old Testament prophecies accidentally predicted the Messiah?  Could it be that the verses in question have been stretching the truth just to fit this scenario so He could say, 'I'm that One.'  The New Testament writers cite messianic prophecies from the Old Testament more than a hundred and thirty times and by some estimates the Old Testament contains three hundred prophetic messages that describe who the Messiah is and what he will do.  Of these, sixty are very major prophecies.  What are the chances of all these prophecies being fulfilled in one person?  A skeptic might argue that given enough time, no matter how remote, that it could happen.  But the mathematical odds that all of these prophecies could be converged by chance in the events of the life of the person of Jesus are staggeringly minute to the point of actually eliminating any such possibility at all.  It can't happen by chance. 

There is a book called 'Science Speaks' by astronomer and mathematician Peter Stoner and he offers a mathematical analysis showing that it is impossible that the precise statements about the one who became Jesus could be fulfilled in a single person by mere coincidence.  "The chance of only eight" – so let's not look at all three hundred – "but the chance of only 8 of these dozens of prophecies being fulfilled in the life of one man has been estimated at 1 in 10 to the 17th power (1 in 1,700,000,000,000,000,000)"  – just for 8 of them to be fulfilled.  So how do we put this in terms that we can understand and or appreciate?  Dr. Stoner illustrates the odds with this scenario.  Let me read you an excerpt from page 100 of his book, 'Science Speaks'.  He says, "...take 10 to the 17th power silver dollars and lay them on the face of Texas..."  which has a land mass of approximately 262,000 square miles.  So if you laid silver dollars on the State of Texas, the number that was 10 to the 17th power, it would cover the entire State two feet deep.  "Now mark one of those silver dollars" he says, "and stir the whole mass thoroughly, all over the state. Blindfold a man and tell him that he can travel as far as he wishes, but he must pick up one silver dollar and say that that's the right one..." while he is blindfolded.  Dr. Stoner says, "What chance would he have of getting the right one? Just the same chance that the prophets would've had of writing just eight prophecies and having them all come true in any one man...  That is only eight of dozens of prophecies of the Messiah," he says.   "Using the science of  probability, the chance of 48 of these prophecies coming to pass in one person is the incredible number 1 in10 to the 157th power."   That's 1 with 157 zeros after it.  Absolutely, of course, ridiculously impossible.  Maybe one or two fulfillments of Jesus' life could be considered coincidental, but not 8.  Not 48.  Not 300.  When the instances of fulfilled prophecies are counted up, the law of probability quickly reaches the point where mere probability becomes a certainty.  And this is one of the proofs that Jesus was the promised Messiah.  The Messianic prophecies were accurately and precisely fulfilled in Him. 

Over the millennia there have been stories and accounts of suggested messiahs – supposed messiahs.  Many of them were self-proclaimed and very quickly, of course, exposed as being frauds.  But to be the real Messiah, not just to say you are, is a very different matter.  Wikipedia – the acclaimed Wikipedia – has a long list in an entry called 'List of Messiah Claimants'.  List of Messiah Claimants.  And this entry in the encyclopedia is of people who have been said to be a messiah, either by themselves or by someone else.  The list is divided into four categories which are sorted according to the date of their birth, if it was known, for each one.  It lists 18 Jewish messiahs – eighteen Jews who said they were messiahs – it lists 36 Christian messiah claimants, it lists 7 Muslim messiah claimants and it lists 8 other messiah claimants.  Here are just a few of the more interesting ones: 

Simon Magus is on the list, of course from the 1st century and mentioned in the book of Acts. He was a Samaritan, says Wikipedia, a native of Gitta.  He was considered a god in Simonianism and he hinted that he, himself, was Christ, calling himself the Standing One.

Here's something that's a little different:  Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian, India in the 1800's claimed to be the awaited Mahdi as well as Second Coming and likeness of Jesus, the promised Messiah at the end of time, being the only person in Islamic history who claimed to be both the Mhadi and the Messiah.  He declared that Jesus survived crucifixion and died a natural death having migrated towards the east.

Sun Myung Moon – you've heard of the 'Moonies' - (1920–2012) he just died last year - the founder and leader of the Unification Church established in Seoul, South Korea, who considered himself the Second Coming of Christ, but not Jesus himself.   He proclaimed that in 1954 - that he was the Second Coming of Christ. 

Charles Manson, born in 1934, leader of the Manson family who ordered his followers to kill others in preparation for the end of the world, claimed himself to be the Messiah.  He also claimed himself, by the way, to be Satan. 

Alan John Miller.  Miller was born in 1964.  He is founder of Divine Truth, a religious movement based in Australia.  Alan John Miller, also known as A.J. claims to be Jesus of Nazareth through reincarnation.  Miller was formerly an elder with the Jehovah's Witnesses.  Now he has started his own movement in Australia and says that he is Jesus of Nazareth. 

Nirmala Srivastava, she died in 2011, a guru and goddess of Yoga, proclaimed herself to be the Comforter promised by Jesus, claimed to be the Holy Spirit. 

Rael, leader of the International Raelian Movement – I think you may have heard of the Raelian Movement - he was born in1946.  He claimed he met an extraterrestrial being in 1973 and became the Messiah.

Now, here's one for you, nobody knows who this is:  this person is known as World Teacher. Nobody knows who he is or what his name is, a being who claimed to be the Theosophical Maitreya and the Messiah of all religions. He is said to have descended from the higher planes and manifested a physical body in early 1977 in the Himalayas.  Then on July 19, 1977 he is said to have taken a commercial airplane flight from Pakistan to England.  He is currently said to be living in secret in London promoted by New Age activist, Benjamin Creme, and his organization, Share International.  This organization says this guy lives in London, but they can't show anybody who he is or whatever – the World Teacher. 

And Wikipedia does list Jesus as a self-proclaimed Messiah and that others believe him to be the Messiah.  And in the usual style of higher education, the entry for Jesus as the Jewish Messiah is put this way by Wikipedia:  'Jesus of Nazareth, leader of a small Jewish sect, who was crucified; the Jews who believed him to be the Messiah were the first Christians, also known as Jewish Christians.  Christians and Messianic Jews believe him to be the real Messiah.'

So then, why was Jesus not universally accepted amongst the population of His day?  What were the Jews looking for?  Is it possible that they were looking for someone completely different from what they found?  The Jews were acquainted with many of the prophecies about the Messiah, the Chosen or Anointed One as it says in Hebrew, they firmly believed that Messiah would be strong and glorious, a king who would deliver them from Roman oppression and once again establish a major Jewish nation. 

Let's go to Matthew chapter 2, verse 1 and notice what the wise men who came from the East seeking the newborn Jesus inquired about here in Jerusalem. 

Matthew 2:1 - Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem,   Vs. 2 - "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him."   King Herod, who ruled under the Romans, clearly understood that the Messiah the Jews expected was to be another king and that's a rival to himself.  Notice what he then asked the chief priests and the scribes in verse 3.   Vs. 3 - When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.   Vs. 4 - And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.   So they said to him...  in Vs. 5  ..."In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet..." 

 And this was written by the prophet, Micah.  I'll read it to you.  Keep your thumb here in Matthew chapter 2, but in Micah 5 verse 2 we read:  Micah 4:2 - "But you, Bethlehem, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting."   It was a prophecy of the Messiah being born in Bethlehem. 

You see, the prophecies said that the Messiah would be a ruler.  Why did Herod ask Jewish religious leaders this?  So he could eliminate the threat, the threat to his power.  The prophecies about the Messiah were well known even amongst the Roman rulership.  Notice verse 16 of Matthew 2 here.

Vs. 16 - Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were born in Bethlehem, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men.

In the Greek language in which the New Testament was written, Christos, or Christ in English, has the same meaning as the word mâshı̂yach,which is 'Messiah' in English.  And Mâshı̂yachand Christos mean 'anointed one' signifying one who is especially chosen by God.  Herod and the Jewish rulers considered the title Christ or Anointed One as synonymous with Old Testaments prophecies about the King of the Jews and it was the general expectation of the time.  The expectation that Christ would be a King, fit with their understanding that he would also be a descendent of King David. 

Matthew 22 – if you would just go forward to Matthew 22 for a moment, verse 41.  Remember, King David was probably the most famous of all the kings of Israel and the one by whom all other kings were measured.  David was a man after God's own heart.  You see this illustrated in Matthew chapter 22.

Matthew 22:41 - While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, saying, "What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is He?" They said to Him, "The Son of David."   And, of course, Christ is teasing them here. He said to them, "How then does David in the Spirit call Him 'LORD'...  and then Jesus quotes from the Psalms: 'THE LORD SAID TO MY LORD, "SIT AT MY RIGHT HAND, TILL I MAKE YOUR ENEMIES YOUR FOOTSTOOL" '?   And so Jesus says here – verse 45 – If David then calls Him 'LORD,' how is He his Son?" And no one was able to answer Him a word, nor from that day on did anyone dare question Him anymore.  They were trying to trip Him up. And we see in the New Testament, great care is given in the gospels to show the lineage of Jesus and His mother back to the throne of David. 

Jesus was addressed as the Son of David by two blind men in Matthew 9, by the woman of Canaan in Matthew 15 and by the blind men at Jericho in Matthew, chapter 20.  Go back to Matthew, chapter 12 and read verses 22 and 23.  Notice the question everyone asked when Jesus healed the demon-possessed man who was both blind and mute. 

Matthew 12:22 - Then one was brought to Him who was demon-possessed, blind and mute; and He healed him, so that the blind and mute man both spoke and saw. And all the multitudes...  here is the key...were amazed and said, "Could this be the Son of David?"...  the promised Messiah is what they were referring to. 

And so the Jewish nation and even the Roman rulers were looking for this Son of David, born in Bethlehem, a king who would come to rescue the Jews from tyranny.  And they kept asking, "I wonder if this fellow is him?" 

We'll go over to John chapter 7 and read verse 31. 

John 7:31 - And many of the people believed in Him, and said, "When the Christ comes, will He do more signs than these which this Man has done?"

It was a rhetorical question.  They believed the Messiah had come because what other man would be doing this?  The number and scope of the miracles Jesus performed – miracles not equaled in the whole history of Israel even by the great prophets – led people to believe and come to the conclusion that He had to be the prophesied Messiah, that the time had come.  So this begs the question, why all the focus on this in the 1st century?  Why did they think the time had come?   Well, there is actually an even greater and even more intense and fascinating reason why they thought the time had come for the Messiah to be revealed.  And that is because the Bible prophesied the exact year the Messiah would appear.  To understand why they thought the time had come and that the Messiah was being revealed, let's look at just one prophecy of the Messiah.  And it's an amazing prophecy in Daniel chapter 9, verse 25.  And it gives the specific year the Messiah would appear.  Daniel 9:25, we'll turn over there.  The angel Gabriel revealed this information to Daniel approximately 580 years before it came to pass.  So let's examine this one verse here and how it was fulfilled.  It's a fascinating study and well worth looking into as we approach the Passover and season of Unleavened Bread and are focusing on the Messiah specifically.  And here in Daniel 9, what we are reading in verse 25 is part of what is called the Seventy Weeks prophecy.  In verse 25 Daniel says:

Daniel 9:25 - Know therefore and understand, That from the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince, there shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; the street shall be built again, and the wall...  of Jerusalem will be built again  ...even in troublesome times.

So Daniel says a total of sixty-nine weeks.  The word translated weeks here literally means 'sevens' in the original language.  And while it could mean seven day weeks, that's not the case here.  Daniel had been specifically praying earlier in the chapter about a prophesied period of seventy years.  And in his answer to his prayer, he is told of a period of seventy sevens – clearly meaning 70 sevens of years and you can look into that at some point if you want to, but in this context, 70 seven-year periods.  So adding seven plus sixty-two gives us sixty-nine of the seven-year periods giving us a total of 483 years.  483 years from a decree that was given to rebuild Jerusalem and its walls.  And it says that this is the year when the Messiah would appear on the scene.  And so this is where I got the title for today's message, 'The 483-Year Prophecy and You'.  We'll get to 'You' in a minute – and to me. 

So now we begin to see why the Jews were in eager anticipation of their Messiah at the time of Jesus' birth and ministry.  They had been counting up the years, too.  Here's a little bit of history to add to the equation.  After Jerusalem's destruction by the Babylonians in 586 B.C., the Babylonian Empire was then overrun and taken over by the Medo-Persian Empire.  And this empire's kings issued three such decrees to rebuild Jerusalem that we find recorded in the Bible.  One by Cyrus, King Cyrus in 538 B.C.  That one is found in Ezra chapter 1, first two verses.  And one by King Darius in 520 B.C. described in Ezra 6:8.  But the third one that was issued by Artaxerxes Longimanus in 437 B.C. we find in Ezra chapter 7.  It points us specifically to Christ's ministry because this is the one where even the walls of the city of Jerusalem were rebuilt – in this third decree. 

Let's open our Bibles to Ezra, chapter 7 for a moment, a little more background for you.  The events of Ezra chapter 6 occur during the reign of Darius the Great  and the time of the second such decree.  Chapter 7 jumps forward to the reign of his grandson, Artaxerxes I.  That was 464 to 424 B.C. that he was alive.  And as a side note, between these two chapters, between chapters 6 and 7 of Ezra, are when the events of the book of Esther took place.  It's another whole study, but between chapter 6 and 7 of Ezra is when the events of Esther – the book of Esther – took place during the reign of Xerxes, the son of Darius and father of Artaxerxes.  Let's look at verses 11 through 26 of Ezra, chapter 7.  And interestingly, the entire proclamation is written in Aramaic, not Hebrew.  Here in the original manuscripts while the text before and after, as I said, are written in Hebrew, it's almost as if Ezra was giving us a direct quote from Artaxerxes' proclamation because we're in Hebrew then it switches to Aramaic for the actual proclamation. 

Ezra 7:11 – (this is in Hebrew) - This is a copy of the letter that King Artaxerxes gave Ezra the priest, the scribe, who is expert in the words of the commandments of the LORD, and of His statutes to Israel:   Now, Vs. 12 starts in Aramaic.  Here is the proclamation.  - Artaxerxes, king of kings, To Ezra the priest, a scribe of the Law of the God of heaven: Perfect peace, and so forth...   It's like yada yada yada right there, you know?    Vs. 13 - I issue a decree that all those of the people of Israel and the priests and Levites in my realm, who volunteer to go up to Jerusalem, may go with you.   Vs. 14 - And whereas you are being sent by the king and his seven counselors to inquire concerning Judah and Jerusalem, with regard to the Law of your God which is in your hand;   Vs. 15 - and whereas you are to carry the silver and gold which the king and his counselors have freely offered to the God of Israel, whose dwelling is in Jerusalem...   By the way, those whereas' kind of sound like a Council of Elders resolution, doesn't it?  Vs. 16 - and whereas all the silver and gold that you may find in all the province of Babylon, along with the freewill offering of the people and the priests, are to be freely offered for the house of their God in Jerusalem—  Vs. 17 - now therefore, be careful to buy with this money bulls, rams, and lambs, with their grain offerings and their drink offerings, and offer them on the altar of the house of your God in Jerusalem.   And Vs. 21 – skip down to verse 21 - And I, even I, Artaxerxes the king, issue a decree to all the treasurers who are in the region beyond the River, that whatever Ezra the priest, the scribe of the Law of the God of heaven, may require of you, let it be done diligently,   Vs. 22 - up to one hundred talents of silver, one hundred kors of wheat, one hundred baths of wine, one hundred baths of oil, and salt without limit.   Vs. 26 - Whoever will not observe the law of your God and the law of the king, let judgment be executed speedily on him, whether it be death, or banishment, or confiscation of goods, or imprisonment.

And the king of Persia commits a remarkable degree of authority and wealth to this proclamation into Ezra's hand.  There is no question that God was involved in the giving of this decree that resulted in the prediction of the ministry of Jesus Christ because you notice in verses 27 and 28:  Vs. 27 - Blessed be the LORD God of our fathers, who put such a thing as this in the king's heart...

So indeed from this decree in Ezra, it is that we are to date the commencement of the 483 years of the seventy-weeks prophecy of Daniel 9 leading to the appearance of the Messiah.  Counting 483 years from the 457 B.C. date of this decree brings us to A.D. 27.  Keep in mind because there is no year 0, we have to add one year to get to A.D. 27. 

A.D. 27 was a very significant year.  Jesus was baptized that year, He gathered His disciples together and He began His public ministry.  The Jews of Christ's day were certainly familiar with Daniel's prophecy and regardless of which of the three decrees you think might be the one from which the Messiah would appear – I believe it's the third one because it specifically says that the walls of Jerusalem will be rebuilt in that one – the time for the Messiah to appear was now overdue.  They were holding out hope that the third decree was the one because he hadn't come in the time period from the first two.  And Messianic fervor was rampant in Judea with the realization that fulfillment of this prophecy must be near at hand. 

Let's go back to John, chapter 1 - let's go back to the New Testament, John 1:40-41.  Let's turn there for a moment.  Here is when Jesus is gathering and selecting His disciples.

John 1:40 - One of the two, who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" And the verse concludes with:  (which is translated, the Christ).   Christos, the anointed one. 

Go forward to John 4:25 - The woman said to Him, "I know that Messiah is coming" (who is called Christ). "And when He comes, He will tell us all things."

You see, there was an expectation in the community at the time that the Messiah would have to appear.  If the Messiah was to come, he would have to arrive on the scene just when Jesus did - look at the calculation – even the exact year.  The Expositor's Bible Commentary gives a thorough explanation in the New International Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties.  Notice this quote excerpted from pages 289 through 291.

"The prophecy of the Seventy Weeks in Daniel 9:24-27 is one of the most remarkable long-range predictions in the entire Bible.  It is by all odds one of the most widely discussed by students and scholars of every persuasion within the spectrum of the Christian church.  And yet when it is carefully examined in light of all the relevant data of history and the information available from other parts of Scripture, it is quite clearly an accurate prediction of the time of Christ's coming advent and a preview of the thrilling final act of the drama of human history before that advent.

"Daniel 9:25  ...gives us two installments, 49 years and 434 years, for a total of 483 years...between the issuance of the decree to rebuild Jerusalem and the coming of the Messiah.

"If then, the decree of 457 [B.C.] granted to Ezra himself is taken as...the commencement of the 69 heptads [that's the word for "weeks" or "sevens" in Daniel], or 483 years, we come out to the precise year of the appearance of Jesus of Nazareth as Messiah (or Christ):  483 minus 457 comes out to A.D. 26.  But since a year is gained in passing from 1 B.C. to A.D. 1, it actually comes out to A.D. 27.  It is generally agreed that Christ was crucified in [the spring of A.D. 31 after a three-and-a-half year ministry].  This means His baptism and initial ministry must have taken place in [the autumn of] A.D. 27 – a most remarkable exactitude in the fulfillment of such an ancient prophecy.  Only God could have predicted the coming of His Son with such amazing precision; it defies all rationalistic explanation"  pp. 289-291).

And so just before Jesus began His ministry, the Jewish people were in expectation of the Messiah.  And so they should have been because they had been adding up the years because it had been clearly foretold by Daniel. 

Turn to Luke chapter 3 with me for a moment.  Luke 3, verses15 and16.  Once again we see in verse 15 of Luke 3.

Luke 3:15 - That the people were in expectation, and all reasoned in their hearts about John, and wondered if he was the Christ or not...  So John the Baptist was on the scene and they were saying, "I  wonder if he is the Christ?"  They knew the time was up.  John answered, saying to all, "I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

So let's put this prophecy of the appearance of the Messiah into a modern day perspective.  Today, in the year 2013, imagine that we are not here in Cincinnati.  Imagine that we were overrun by enemies of the United States back in 1965.  I'm speaking to you here today from, you know, captivity.  Back in 1965 we were overrun as a nation by our enemies - EMP attack or something, right?  We were forcibly removed from our Cincinnati homes and apartments, transported on huge cargo ships to the Middle East.  We are now in captivity in a hostile nation.  It's been a very difficult 48 years for us so far living in subjection to our enemies in the hot, dry Middle East climate with no freedoms, no homes and little food.  All of us are forced to wear head coverings and never say the name of Jesus for fear of execution on the spot.  And now, this day in 2013, from prison in the Middle East I prophesy that in 2094 the city of Cincinnati will be allowed to be rebuilt.  Our Middle East captors will permit select U.S. citizens to return to Cincinnati to rebuild it after being gone what would be 129 years.  And the I-275 Beltway will be restored and built around the entire city.  And I further prophesy that a member of the future family of God will appear on the streets of Cincinnati down in Fountain Square with a message of national salvation in the year 2577. 

Do you see how amazing this prophecy of Jesus really is?  To pinpoint the exact year of Jesus' ministry on earth, it's not of earthly origin.  Which one of you here today being so close to God in prayer and Bible study and meditation and fasting – got to get them all in – would be ready and confident to make such a prediction and to write it down for everyone to examine for the next 564 years?  And, for the citizens of Cincinnati and even the world, to actively be looking because they have such a strong belief in your prophecy that a member of God's family would appear at Fountain Square on the streets of Cincinnati in 2577.  And then, if it came to pass, it would certainly be a divine miracle because you have no power here and now to make any such thing come to pass.  And I certainly don't.  It could only come from God inspiring your very written words.  You can't make this stuff up. 

So does this give you a little bit more insight into how incredible the book of Daniel truly is?  This is only one of the many prophecies penned by Daniel that through history we can show have come to pass in the lives of many nations.  And it's just one of 300 prophecies about the Messiah. The Old Testament is an amazing compilation of inspired books.  There's no denying the power of God when it comes to fulfilled prophecy. 

So what does it matter to me?  What does it matter to you?  'The 483-Year Prophecy and You'.  Our belief in our Savior is no small matter.  It is stark proof of Jesus' life, His death.  And then even His resurrection is a cornerstone of our faith.  On this hinges our entire belief in salvation and eternal life.  As we approach the Passover this season once again, let's be reminded of the miraculous event that resulted in the Word of God dwelling among us here on earth to live, to die and then to be resurrected.  Why?  That our sins may be forgiven and that we, too, may be resurrected – this time to immortal life.  One of the most amazing aspects of this is the prophetic prediction of the actual year of the beginning of our Messiah's work.  Jesus is pictured as the One who is returning to rule the nations of the entire earth.  The first time He came to atone for sin and that's not what the Jews expected.  But the second time He will be returning to rule.  The prophecies about Him being a king will come to pass.  Many thought He would rule the first time, but it was not to be so and not actually what was prophesied if they had understood completely.  The Jews of the 1st century and the Roman rulers misunderstood this and so they tried to have Him killed. 

Let's turn to Revelation chapter 11.  As you know, we have been covering the book of Revelation in the mid-week Bible studies.  Revelation 11, verses 15 through 17 because Jesus' second coming will be to rule the world from Jerusalem, the same place where He began His ministry.  And His second coming to rule is perhaps the most important picture of Christ in the Bible because this is the Jesus Christ the entire world will meet, not just some people in Judea.  The entire world will meet Him sometime in the coming years, perhaps not in the too distant future.

Revelation 11:15 - Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ...  once again, that's the Hebrew Messiah  ...and He shall reign forever and ever!"   Jesus will take His rightful place as ruler of the earth, as the saving Messiah when He returns.  I wonder, where will I be at that point.  Where will you be when this happens?  Will you be found faithful and so doing?  Can you be counted among those saints that are resurrected?  Are we willing to follow Him always by doing what He commanded and following His example?  He preached the gospel of the kingdom of God – the world-ruling kingdom that He will establish at His return.  We are preparing as firstfruits of salvation to be in that kingdom.  We have to remember and really grasp that this kingdom, the kingdom of God, will rule over all of the earth and, in the ultimate sense, it rules over the entire solar system – all of the galaxies.  It rules over all of eternity.  God's kingdom rules over infinity. 

Jesus Christ understood that living according to God's revealed way of life is the key to a happy, successful life and a key to the future.  Jesus said in John 10:10,  I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.  And Jesus Christ wants us to live life to the full while at the same time following His example of how to do it properly.  The kingdom of God is what is promised to those who follow Christ and His true teachings.  Sometimes the path isn't easy to find, though.  Let's turn to Matthew chapter 7 as a concluding passage, Matthew 7:13, because it's a narrow path, a narrow gate.  We have to be diligent in our daily life to stay on that path, to follow our Savior, the very being who was foretold millennia ago to walk this earth.  So note Christ's instructions to us in Matthew 7:13.

Matthew 7:13 – Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by that one. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life – or leads to salvation – and there are few who find it.   And a warning – verse 15: Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them.  And each of us will be known by our fruits. 

Focus now on the upcoming Holy Day Season just eight weeks away.  Make a fervent effort to put sin out of your life.  Focus on the meaning of the Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread.  Read about it.  Study the scriptures about it in advance.  Jesus Christ is King and He is worthy to rule the entire earth.  And He will rule.  He is the earth's maker and creator.  He is the creator of life itself.  He took complete responsibility for His creation by coming to earth to die for us and for our sins. Just like He did not fail the prophecy of Daniel 9:25, He will not fail to complete His mission to return.  He will return to reward the saints – that’s us – to reward us with eternal life and immortality in the resurrection.  And He will return as promised to establish His kingdom of peace over the whole earth.