Prophecy Accurately Fulfilled

by Fr. Clement Attah, Parochial Vicar  |  03/24/2024  |  Weekly Reflection

The story of Jesus saturates the metanarrative of the Bible, and prophecies of His first coming are found throughout the Old Testament. In His life, Christ fulfilled over 300 Old Testament prophecies. Palm Sunday, the event we celebrate today, is one of those. This reflection therefore will show how events in Old Testament predicts that when the Messiah appears, He will show up in a very dramatic way in Jerusalem.

To appreciate the significance of today’s celebration, we need to understand the backstory as recorded in Daniel chapter 9. The Book of Daniel was written about 164 years before the birth of Christ. In Daniel chapter 9:20- 27, The Angel Gabriel explains a prophecy to Daniel. He gave Daniel the time frame in which different events leading to the coming of the Messiah will happen. In verses 24-25, The Angel Gabriel says, “Seventy weeks are decreed for your people and your holy city, for putting an end to transgression, for placing the seal on sin, for expiating everlasting uprightness, for setting the seal on vision and on prophecy, for anointing the holy of holies. Know this, then, and understand: From the time there went out this message: “Return and rebuild Jerusalem” to the coming of the Messiah Prince, seven weeks and sixty-two weeks, with squares and ramparts restored and rebuilt, but in a time of trouble.”

Gabriel told Daniel that seven weeks and sixty-two weeks will pass before the coming of the Messiah Prince. In Jewish sabbatical years, each week contains a unit of seven years. Seven weeks and sixty-two weeks therefore means seven years plus sixty-two years times seven. Now let’s do the Math. 7 + 62 = 69. 69 X 7= 483 years. Most Bible historians agree that the decree to rebuild Jerusalem which the Angel Gabriel referred to was given by Artaxerxes in 445 BC. (Cf Nehemiah 2:1). Bible scholars did the calculation and figured that the 483 years were completed on April 6th AD 32, the exact date of the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. This is more than coincidence. It is a remarkable fulfilment of prophesy. How do you explain the presence of the crowd on Palm Sunday if not for the fact that there was a strong Messianic expectation at the time?