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6—Judea becomes Roman province
17—Earthquake destroys much of Ephesus
43—London founded
50—Pyramid built in Teotihuacan, Mexico
54—Claudius assassinated, succeeded by Nero
58—Buddhism introduced in China
79—Mount Vesuvius erupts, covering Pompeii
81-96—Emperor Domitian regins
Jesus' earthly story begins in the town of Bethlehem in the Roman province of Judea (Matthew 2:1). A threat to kill the infant king led Joseph to take his family to Egypt (2:14). When they returned, God led them to settle in Nazareth, in Galilee (2:22-23). At about age 30, Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River and was tempted by Satan in the Judean wilderness (3:13; 4:1). Jesus set up his base of operations in Capernaum (4:12-13), and from there he ministered throughout Israel, telling parables, teaching about the Kingdom, and healing the sick. He traveled to Gadara and healed two demon-possessed men (8:28-34); fed more than 5,000 people with five loaves and two fish on the shores of Galilee near Bethsaida (14:15-21); healed the sick in Gennesaret (14:34-36); ministered to the Gentiles in Tyre and Sidon (15:21-28); visited Caesarea Philippi, where Peter declared him to be the Messiah (16:13-20); and taught in Judea, across the Jordan (19:1). As he set out on his last visit to Jerusalem, he told his disciples what would happen to him there (20:17-19). He spent some time in Jericho (20:29), and then stayed in Bethany at night as he went back and forth to Jerusalem during his last week (21:17). In Jerusalem, he would be crucified, but he would rise again
17—Earthquake destroys much of Ephesus
43—London founded
50—Pyramid built in Teotihuacan, Mexico
54—Claudius assassinated, succeeded by Nero
58—Buddhism introduced in China
79—Mount Vesuvius erupts, covering Pompeii
81-96—Emperor Domitian regins
Jesus' earthly story begins in the town of Bethlehem in the Roman province of Judea (Matthew 2:1). A threat to kill the infant king led Joseph to take his family to Egypt (2:14). When they returned, God led them to settle in Nazareth, in Galilee (2:22-23). At about age 30, Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River and was tempted by Satan in the Judean wilderness (3:13; 4:1). Jesus set up his base of operations in Capernaum (4:12-13), and from there he ministered throughout Israel, telling parables, teaching about the Kingdom, and healing the sick. He traveled to Gadara and healed two demon-possessed men (8:28-34); fed more than 5,000 people with five loaves and two fish on the shores of Galilee near Bethsaida (14:15-21); healed the sick in Gennesaret (14:34-36); ministered to the Gentiles in Tyre and Sidon (15:21-28); visited Caesarea Philippi, where Peter declared him to be the Messiah (16:13-20); and taught in Judea, across the Jordan (19:1). As he set out on his last visit to Jerusalem, he told his disciples what would happen to him there (20:17-19). He spent some time in Jericho (20:29), and then stayed in Bethany at night as he went back and forth to Jerusalem during his last week (21:17). In Jerusalem, he would be crucified, but he would rise again
7 BC PLANETS CONJOIN BEFORE JESUS' BIRTH
The Magi, a priestly caste in ancient Persia, were both astronomers and astrologers. The Persian Jews, also interested in astrology, had predicted that when Saturn met Jupiter in the zodiac sign of Pisces, the Messiah would appear. On May 29, 7 BC, Jupiter and Saturn came into conjunction in Pisces for the first time in 853 years and then began moving apart. However, in October and December the two planets met again for the second and third times in Pisces. The Magi were familiar with Jewish prophecy and would have understood this phenomenon to mean that something important was about to happen in Judea. Then in February of 5 BC, a nova appeared in the sky, moving toward Judea. If the Magi left Persia when this appeared, they could have reached Bethlehem when it was still visible. In fact, the nova eventually appeared directly over Bethlehem, leading the Magi to Jesus.
—Complete Book of When and Where, The
THE STAR OF BETHLEHEM
December 4, 7 BC
They followed the star.
Ancient Persia had a priestly caste called magi. Astrology was very popular in the ancient Near East, and the magi were both astrologers and astronomers.
Early Jews also were interested in astrology. One of their messianic prophecies said, "A star will rise from Jacob" (Numbers 24:17). To them, Jupiter was "the King's planet" and Saturn was Israel's "defender." An old Jewish proverb said, "God created Saturn to shield Israel."
Early astrologers observed that planets move in a belt in the heavens that they termed the zodiac. They divided the zodiac into twelve equal blocks or signs. According to Chaldean astrology, each sign represented a different nation. Pisces, the sign of the fish, represented Amurru, which included Syria and Palestine. To Jewish astrologers, Pisces represented Judea. They predicted that the Messiah would appear when Saturn, their "defender," would meet Jupiter, "the King's planet," in Pisces. Since many of the Jews did not return from the Babylonian captivity and continued to live in Persia, the magi would have been familiar with Jewish astrological beliefs.
In 7 BC, for the first time in 853 years, Jupiter and Saturn came together in Pisces, with three conjunctions between April and December, the third occurring on December 4, 7 BC. The magi would have tried to understand the significance of what they had seen. Could it be the Jewish Messiah's birth in Judea?
In February of 6 BC, Mars, which had been far away in the sky a few months earlier, joined Jupiter and Saturn in Pisces. Mars was thought to represent war. Could this indicate that the Messiah, the defender of Israel, was about to arise and defeat his enemy? That theory would be in line with the final prophecy of Balaam: "A star will rise from Jacob; a scepter will emerge from Israel. It will crush the foreheads of Moab's people, cracking the skulls of the people of Sheth" (Numbers 24:17).
One year later in late winter, blazing across the sky from the East came a nova, a star that suddenly explodes, becoming ten to one hundred thousand times brighter than it had been. The nova was heading toward Judea, and the magi decided to follow it. The nova was visible for more than ten weeks. If the magi left Persia shortly after it appeared, they would have been able to reach Bethlehem while it was still visible.
When the magi reached Jerusalem, they apparently had lost sight of the star because they asked where the king of the Jews was to be born. This was no doubt because once a month the moon would hide the nova.
When the nova reappeared, at dawn it would have been fifty degrees high due south of Jerusalem—directly over Bethlehem! When the magi saw the star, they were filled with joy and followed it to the house where Jesus and Mary were. There they fell down before him and worshiped him (Matthew 2:1-11).
—Complete Book of When and Where, The
5 BC JESUS IS BORN
Jesus was born in approximately 5 BC in Bethlehem to a young virgin named Mary. The genealogies of Jesus recorded in Matthew and Luke show that he had descended from King David. Herod the Great, the Jewish vassal king under the Romans, learned that Jesus was prophesied as the coming "King of the Jews," and therefore sought to kill all infant boys two years old and younger. However, Jesus' life was saved because an angel of the Lord had told Joseph to escape to Egypt. After Herod died, an angel appeared again to Joseph and told him to return with his family to Israel (Matthew 2 and Luke 2).
—Complete Book of When and Where, The
AD 9 JESUS IS LEFT IN THE TEMPLE
When Jesus was twelve, his family went on their annual pilgrimage to Jerusalem to celebrate the feast of Passover. After the feast, Mary and Joseph left Jerusalem as part of a caravan of people returning to their homes. Assuming Jesus was part of the caravan, Jesus' parents inadvertently left him in Jerusalem. When they later realized he was missing, they returned to Jerusalem and finally found him in the Temple listening to the teachers and asking them questions. Everyone, including his parents, was amazed at what he said. Overcoming their astonishment, Mary and Joseph asked him why he had stayed behind rather than going with them. Jesus' reply was, "You should have known that I would be in my Father's house" (Luke 2:41-52).
—Complete Book of When and Where, The
AD 29 JOHN THE BAPTIST BEGINS HIS MINISTRY
Born around 6 BC, John the Baptist lived as an ascetic in the wilderness of Judea. Around AD 29, John received the Lord's call to preach repentance and forgiveness of sins to the Jewish people in the Judean desert. John quickly developed a following as his hearers repented and were baptized by him in the Jordan River. As prophesied by Isaiah, John was used by God to prepare the way for the Lord.
—Complete Book of When and Where, The
MESSIAH, KING, AND LAMB
March 30, AD 33
A prophecy fulfilled to the day?
The day was March 30, AD 33, four days before Passover. As Jesus set out for Jerusalem from the village of Bethany, on the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives, he sent two disciples on ahead.
"Go into the village over there," he said, "and you will see a donkey tied there, with its colt beside it. Untie them and bring them here....." This was done to fulfill the prophecy, "Tell the people of Israel, 'Look, your King is coming to you. He is humble, riding on a donkey—even on a donkey's colt.'" The two disciples did as Jesus said. They brought the animals to him and threw their garments over the colt, and he sat on it. (Matthew 21:2-7)
[As Jesus rode the donkey toward Jerusalem,] the crowds spread out their coats on the road ahead [to honor him]. As they reached the place where the road started down from the Mount of Olives, all of his followers began to shout and sing,... "Bless the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in highest heaven!" (Luke 19:36-38)
This was the official entry of the Messiah-King into Jerusalem. Just as David's son Solomon had ridden a donkey at his presentation as king to the cheering crowds of Je-rusalem just a little over a millennium earlier (1 Kings 1:33-46), so Jesus entered Jerusalem riding a donkey to claim publicly that he was the greater Son of David, who would sit on David's throne.
More than five hundred years earlier, God had revealed to the prophet Daniel that the Messiah would come four hundred and eighty-three years after the command would be given to rebuild Jerusalem (Daniel 9:25). The command to rebuild Jerusalem was given by King Artaxerxes of Persia, in the month of Nisan in the twentieth year of his reign (Nehemiah 2:1-6). The Jews did not use a solar calendar as we do today, and in biblical prophecies the years are composed of 360 days (e.g., Revelation 11:2-3; 12:6; 13:5). The exact day of the month is not given; but if the command to rebuild Jerusalem was given on the first of Nisan, March 5, 444 BC, it was 483 years of 360 days later—to the day—that Jesus entered Jerusalem on March 30, AD 33, the day of his formal entry into the city as Messiah. The prophecy likely was fulfilled to the day!
Something else also happened on that day. It was the day when the lambs were selected to be slain at Passover. In his triumphal entry, Jesus was presenting himself as the Passover Lamb.
—Complete Book of When and Where, The
AD 29 JESUS' MINISTRY BEGINS
After being baptized by John the Baptist, Jesus began his ministry in Judea, Samaria, and Galilee. His ministry was characterized by healing the sick, raising the dead, restoring sight to the blind, and preaching about the Kingdom of God. In his three years of ministry, Jesus gathered twelve disciples and prepared them to continue his work after he was gone. Jesus' earthly ministry ended with his crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension.
—Complete Book of When and Where, The
AD 30 JESUS CELEBRATES PASSOVER DURING HIS MINISTRY Jesus was in Jerusalem on April 7, AD 30, celebrating the Passover for the first time since he had begun his public ministry. At the Passover Jesus drove the merchants and money changers out of the Temple and performed miracles, but the Jewish people viewed him only as a miracle worker (John 2:13-25). However, one man did truly believe in him during that festival. Nicodemus, a leader of the Pharisees, came to Jesus one evening seeking to learn more about his message. Jesus told him that to enter the Kingdom of God, he had to be born again. He told Nicodemus of the coming salvation and the coming judgment, and declared that believing in him as Messiah was the only way to obtain salvation (John 3:1-21). Not only did Nicodemus later defend Jesus before the Sanhedrin (John 7:50-51), but he also prepared Jesus' body for burial (John 19:39-40).
—Complete Book of When and Where, The
AD 33 JESUS TRIUMPHANTLY ENTERS JERUSALEM
On March 30, AD 33, four days before the Jewish Passover, Jesus directed his disciples to go to a village to find a donkey and a colt, in fulfillment of a prophecy in Zechariah 9:9. Jesus mounted the colt and rode it into Jerusalem as the people waved palm branches and laid down their coats for him, shouting, "Bless the King who comes in the name of the Lord!" To the faithful Jew, this scene brought to mind the occasion when Solomon rode a donkey into Jerusalem to be proclaimed the king of the Jews (1 Kings 1:33-46). This event was the official entry of Jesus the Messiah into Jerusalem. This also was the day when Passover lambs were selected, and Jesus was presenting himself as the Passover Lamb.
—Complete Book of When and Where, The
THE LAST SUPPER
April 2, AD 33
It was Jesus' last night before his crucifixion.
On April 2, AD 33, Jesus sent Peter and John to prepare the Passover meal for him to eat with his disciples (Luke 22:7-13).
There at the Last Supper, Jesus instituted the New covenant, replacing the Old covenant of Mount Sinai. At the institution of the Old covenant, Moses, Aaron, Aaron's sons, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel had gone up to the top of Mount Sinai where they saw God and shared a meal together with him (Exodus 24:9-11). Which person of the Trinity did they see and eat with? It was God the Son, whose role is to represent the Godhead visibly to humanity (John 1:18). Thus the Old covenant was instituted at a meal between God the Son and the elders of Israel. Now in the upper room, the New covenant was instituted at a meal between God the Son and the disciples, the elders of the church (cf. 1 Peter 5:1; 2 John 1; 3 John 1).
At the Last Supper, when Jesus said, "This is my blood, which seals the covenant" (Matthew 26-28), the words (except for my) were identical to the Greek Septuagint's translation of Moses' words at the institution of the Old covenant (Exodus 24:8). Clearly Jesus was instituting a New covenant to replace the Old covenant.
The covenants of the Bible were treaties between God and his people. Thus it is sig-nificant that Jesus says, "This wine is the token of God's new covenant to save you—an agreement sealed with the blood I will pour out for you" (Luke 22:20). Since the time of Homer, the pouring out of a cup of wine was the normal way of sealing a treaty between nations. This ritual was so central to treaty making that the Greek word for "libation" became the word for "treaty." Thus Jesus used this contemporary treaty symbolism to make sure everyone understood that he was instituting a New covenant or treaty with his people.
Since the Old covenant contained commandments, one would expect that the New covenant would contain a new commandment. Thus at the Last Supper Jesus says, "Now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other" (John 13:34).
After Jesus had identified Judas Iscariot as the one who would betray him and Simon Peter as the one who would deny him (John 13:18-38), he and the disciples crossed the Kidron Valley and went to the garden of Gethsemane (John 18:1; Matthew 26:36).
—Complete Book of When and Where, The
33 THE FIG TREE WITHERS
On March 31, AD 33, the morning after Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, Jesus and his disciples left the town of Bethany, where they had spent the night. Being hungry, Jesus approached a fig tree to pick some fruit, but it had no fruit—only leaves. He cursed the tree saying, "May no one ever eat your fruit again!" (Mark 11:12-14). Jesus was giving a visual parable of the Temple in Jerusalem. Like the fruitless fig tree, the Temple was beautiful to look at but produced no spiritual fruit. When Jesus arrived in Jerusalem, he drove out the merchants and their customers from the Temple. Jesus and his disciples passed by the fig tree the next day and saw that it had withered, foretelling the Temple's destruction in AD 70 (Mark 11:12-19).
—Complete Book of When and Where, The
33 JESUS GIVES THE OLIVET DISCOURSE
After leaving the Temple on April 1, 33, Jesus and his disciples went to the Mount of Olives where the disciples asked him when the destruction of the Temple would take place. Jesus gave them a foreboding message saying that nations would war against each other, great earthquakes would take place, and famines and epidemics would break out. He told them that his disciples would be dragged into court and thrown into prisons, and many would be killed. Once they saw Jerusalem surrounded by armies, they were to flee before the city and Temple were destroyed. The destruction of the Temple would precede the age of the Gentiles, in which we now live, when the church is made up primarily of Gentiles. Jesus will return at the end of this age (Luke 21:7-24).
—Complete Book of When and Where, The
33 JESUS SERVES THE LAST SUPPER
On April 2, 33, at a Jerusalem Passover meal known as the Last Supper, Jesus initiated the New covenant, replacing the Old covenant made with Israel generations before at Mount Sinai. That night Jesus broke the unleavened bread of Passover and passed the wine for the celebration saying, "This is my body, given for you... This wine is the token of God's new covenant to save you—an agreement sealed with the blood I will pour out for you" (Luke 22:19-20). After Jesus identified Judas as the one who would betray him and Peter as the one who would deny him, he led the disciples across the Kidron Valley to the Garden of Gethsemane. There, after Jesus prayed and while the disciples slept, Judas led the Roman soldiers to arrest Jesus (Luke 22:1-54).
—Complete Book of When and Where, The
THE CRUCIFIXION
April 3, AD 33
They crucified their King.
In the early hours of April 3, AD 33, Jesus was taken to Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor.
"Are you the king of the Jews?" he asked him....
Jesus answered, "I am not an earthly king. If I were, my followers would have fought when I was arrested by the Jewish leaders. But my Kingdom is not of this world."
Pilate replied, "You are a king then?"
"You say that I am a king, and you are right," Jesus said.......
Then [Pilate] went out again to the people and told them, "He is not guilty of any crime. But you have a custom of asking me to release someone from prison each year at Passover. So if you want me to, I'll release the King of the Jews."
But they shouted back, "No! Not this man, but Barabbas!" (Barabbas was a criminal.)
"But if I release Barabbas," Pilate asked them, "what should I do with Jesus who is called the Messiah?"
And they all shouted, "Crucify him!" ...
[Pilate] sent for a bowl of water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, "I am innocent of the blood of this man. The responsibility is yours!"
And all the people yelled back, "We will take responsibility for his death—we and our children!"
So Pilate released Barabbas to them. He ordered Jesus flogged with a lead-tipped whip, then turned him over to the Roman soldiers. (John 18:33-40; Matthew 27:22-26)
The next event was truly remarkable. Though Jesus had been born to be king and had been anointed by the Holy Spirit following his baptism (Acts 10:38), he had never been officially crowned. After the soldiers beat Jesus they coronated him—using all the major features of the coronation of a Caesar.
In the Roman Empire it was frequently the soldiers who chose the next Caesar. Here the soldiers set a crown of thorns on Jesus' head and put a royal purple robe on him (John 19:2). (At this time becoming Caesar was known as "donning the purple.") They placed a stick in his right hand as a scepter and knelt before him in mockery, yelling, "Hail! King of the Jews!" (Matthew 27:29).
Then "Pilate went outside again and said to the people, 'I am going to bring him out to you now, but understand clearly that I find him not guilty.' Then Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. And Pilate said, 'Here is the man!'
"When they saw him, the leading priests and Temple guards began shouting, 'Crucify! Crucify!'... So they took Jesus and led him away (John 19:4-6, 16).
They crucified him on Skull Hill ("Golgotha" in Hebrew) between two thieves. Pilate had a sign placed over him that said, "Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews." At three in the afternoon an earthquake shook Jerusalem as Jesus died, just as the Passover lambs were being slain all over Jerusalem (John 19:16-30; Matthew 27:33-50).
—Complete Book of When and Where, The
33 JESUS IS CRUCIFIED
After his betrayal, Jesus appeared before the Jewish court, called the Sanhedrin, and then was sent to the governor Pontius Pilate to be tried by the Roman authorities early on the morning of April 3, 33. When Pilate asked Jesus whether he was the King of the Jews, Jesus answered, "Yes, it is as you say." Although Pilate did not find Jesus guilty of any crime, the Jews demanded that he order Jesus' crucifixion. Pilate knew their accusations against Jesus were false, yet he agreed to the crucifixion. Jesus was severely beaten, mocked by the Roman soldiers, spat upon, cursed, and made to carry a heavy wooden cross to a hill named Golgotha where he was crucified. At three in the afternoon, when the lambs were slaughtered for the Passover, an earthquake shook the earth as Jesus died. The Lamb of God had died for the sins of the world (Matthew 27:1-56; John 1:29; 18:33-40).
—Complete Book of When and Where, The
33 JESUS LIVES
On Sunday morning, April 5, 33, Mary Magdalene and several other women went to Jesus' tomb to embalm his body, as was customary at that time. When they got there, they saw that the huge stone in front of the tomb had been rolled away and the tomb was empty! Two angels then appeared to the women and told them Jesus had risen from the dead, just as he had said. The women ran to tell Peter and the other disciples what had happened. Jesus then appeared to two of the disciples as they were walking to Emmaus and later to the disciples in an upper room where they were gathered together. Jesus had indeed risen from the dead! (Luke 24:1-49).
—Complete Book of When and Where, The
33 JESUS ASCENDS TO HEAVEN
On May 14, 33, forty days after his resurrection from the dead, Jesus again appeared to his disciples and led them up the Mount of Olives. There he blessed them and commissioned them to go to all nations, preaching the gospel. As his disciples stood by watching, Jesus ascended into the sky and soon vanished into heaven in a cloud. As the disciples continued to gaze into the sky, hoping to catch another glimpse of the Lord, two angels clothed in brilliant white robes suddenly appeared among them. The angels promised the disciples that Jesus would return someday, in the same manner they had just witnessed him leave. The disciples then returned to Jerusalem to wait for the Holy Spirit, whom Jesus had promised would come to them (Matthew 28:16-20; Mark 16:9-20; Luke 24:44-53; Acts 1:1-12).
—Complete Book of When and Where, The
33 THE HOLY SPIRIT COMES AT PENTECOST
May 24, 33, was Pentecost, the beginning of the Feast of Weeks, and Jewish men from all over the Roman Empire had gathered to offer their firstfruits to God. For the ten days since Jesus' ascension, the disciples had gathered together praying. On this day, as they prayed, they were startled by a loud roaring and tongues of fire that appeared over their heads. This event marked the fulfillment of Jesus' promise of the coming Holy Spirit. As they preached, they found themselves speaking foreign languages that they did not know. Then Peter stepped forward and powerfully proclaimed the gospel of Christ. Peter's message brought deep conviction to many listeners, and three thousand were added to the church that day. This event marked the beginning of the early church's rapid growth (Acts 2:1-42).
—Complete Book of When and Where, The
The Magi, a priestly caste in ancient Persia, were both astronomers and astrologers. The Persian Jews, also interested in astrology, had predicted that when Saturn met Jupiter in the zodiac sign of Pisces, the Messiah would appear. On May 29, 7 BC, Jupiter and Saturn came into conjunction in Pisces for the first time in 853 years and then began moving apart. However, in October and December the two planets met again for the second and third times in Pisces. The Magi were familiar with Jewish prophecy and would have understood this phenomenon to mean that something important was about to happen in Judea. Then in February of 5 BC, a nova appeared in the sky, moving toward Judea. If the Magi left Persia when this appeared, they could have reached Bethlehem when it was still visible. In fact, the nova eventually appeared directly over Bethlehem, leading the Magi to Jesus.
—Complete Book of When and Where, The
THE STAR OF BETHLEHEM
December 4, 7 BC
They followed the star.
Ancient Persia had a priestly caste called magi. Astrology was very popular in the ancient Near East, and the magi were both astrologers and astronomers.
Early Jews also were interested in astrology. One of their messianic prophecies said, "A star will rise from Jacob" (Numbers 24:17). To them, Jupiter was "the King's planet" and Saturn was Israel's "defender." An old Jewish proverb said, "God created Saturn to shield Israel."
Early astrologers observed that planets move in a belt in the heavens that they termed the zodiac. They divided the zodiac into twelve equal blocks or signs. According to Chaldean astrology, each sign represented a different nation. Pisces, the sign of the fish, represented Amurru, which included Syria and Palestine. To Jewish astrologers, Pisces represented Judea. They predicted that the Messiah would appear when Saturn, their "defender," would meet Jupiter, "the King's planet," in Pisces. Since many of the Jews did not return from the Babylonian captivity and continued to live in Persia, the magi would have been familiar with Jewish astrological beliefs.
In 7 BC, for the first time in 853 years, Jupiter and Saturn came together in Pisces, with three conjunctions between April and December, the third occurring on December 4, 7 BC. The magi would have tried to understand the significance of what they had seen. Could it be the Jewish Messiah's birth in Judea?
In February of 6 BC, Mars, which had been far away in the sky a few months earlier, joined Jupiter and Saturn in Pisces. Mars was thought to represent war. Could this indicate that the Messiah, the defender of Israel, was about to arise and defeat his enemy? That theory would be in line with the final prophecy of Balaam: "A star will rise from Jacob; a scepter will emerge from Israel. It will crush the foreheads of Moab's people, cracking the skulls of the people of Sheth" (Numbers 24:17).
One year later in late winter, blazing across the sky from the East came a nova, a star that suddenly explodes, becoming ten to one hundred thousand times brighter than it had been. The nova was heading toward Judea, and the magi decided to follow it. The nova was visible for more than ten weeks. If the magi left Persia shortly after it appeared, they would have been able to reach Bethlehem while it was still visible.
When the magi reached Jerusalem, they apparently had lost sight of the star because they asked where the king of the Jews was to be born. This was no doubt because once a month the moon would hide the nova.
When the nova reappeared, at dawn it would have been fifty degrees high due south of Jerusalem—directly over Bethlehem! When the magi saw the star, they were filled with joy and followed it to the house where Jesus and Mary were. There they fell down before him and worshiped him (Matthew 2:1-11).
—Complete Book of When and Where, The
5 BC JESUS IS BORN
Jesus was born in approximately 5 BC in Bethlehem to a young virgin named Mary. The genealogies of Jesus recorded in Matthew and Luke show that he had descended from King David. Herod the Great, the Jewish vassal king under the Romans, learned that Jesus was prophesied as the coming "King of the Jews," and therefore sought to kill all infant boys two years old and younger. However, Jesus' life was saved because an angel of the Lord had told Joseph to escape to Egypt. After Herod died, an angel appeared again to Joseph and told him to return with his family to Israel (Matthew 2 and Luke 2).
—Complete Book of When and Where, The
AD 9 JESUS IS LEFT IN THE TEMPLE
When Jesus was twelve, his family went on their annual pilgrimage to Jerusalem to celebrate the feast of Passover. After the feast, Mary and Joseph left Jerusalem as part of a caravan of people returning to their homes. Assuming Jesus was part of the caravan, Jesus' parents inadvertently left him in Jerusalem. When they later realized he was missing, they returned to Jerusalem and finally found him in the Temple listening to the teachers and asking them questions. Everyone, including his parents, was amazed at what he said. Overcoming their astonishment, Mary and Joseph asked him why he had stayed behind rather than going with them. Jesus' reply was, "You should have known that I would be in my Father's house" (Luke 2:41-52).
—Complete Book of When and Where, The
AD 29 JOHN THE BAPTIST BEGINS HIS MINISTRY
Born around 6 BC, John the Baptist lived as an ascetic in the wilderness of Judea. Around AD 29, John received the Lord's call to preach repentance and forgiveness of sins to the Jewish people in the Judean desert. John quickly developed a following as his hearers repented and were baptized by him in the Jordan River. As prophesied by Isaiah, John was used by God to prepare the way for the Lord.
—Complete Book of When and Where, The
MESSIAH, KING, AND LAMB
March 30, AD 33
A prophecy fulfilled to the day?
The day was March 30, AD 33, four days before Passover. As Jesus set out for Jerusalem from the village of Bethany, on the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives, he sent two disciples on ahead.
"Go into the village over there," he said, "and you will see a donkey tied there, with its colt beside it. Untie them and bring them here....." This was done to fulfill the prophecy, "Tell the people of Israel, 'Look, your King is coming to you. He is humble, riding on a donkey—even on a donkey's colt.'" The two disciples did as Jesus said. They brought the animals to him and threw their garments over the colt, and he sat on it. (Matthew 21:2-7)
[As Jesus rode the donkey toward Jerusalem,] the crowds spread out their coats on the road ahead [to honor him]. As they reached the place where the road started down from the Mount of Olives, all of his followers began to shout and sing,... "Bless the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in highest heaven!" (Luke 19:36-38)
This was the official entry of the Messiah-King into Jerusalem. Just as David's son Solomon had ridden a donkey at his presentation as king to the cheering crowds of Je-rusalem just a little over a millennium earlier (1 Kings 1:33-46), so Jesus entered Jerusalem riding a donkey to claim publicly that he was the greater Son of David, who would sit on David's throne.
More than five hundred years earlier, God had revealed to the prophet Daniel that the Messiah would come four hundred and eighty-three years after the command would be given to rebuild Jerusalem (Daniel 9:25). The command to rebuild Jerusalem was given by King Artaxerxes of Persia, in the month of Nisan in the twentieth year of his reign (Nehemiah 2:1-6). The Jews did not use a solar calendar as we do today, and in biblical prophecies the years are composed of 360 days (e.g., Revelation 11:2-3; 12:6; 13:5). The exact day of the month is not given; but if the command to rebuild Jerusalem was given on the first of Nisan, March 5, 444 BC, it was 483 years of 360 days later—to the day—that Jesus entered Jerusalem on March 30, AD 33, the day of his formal entry into the city as Messiah. The prophecy likely was fulfilled to the day!
Something else also happened on that day. It was the day when the lambs were selected to be slain at Passover. In his triumphal entry, Jesus was presenting himself as the Passover Lamb.
—Complete Book of When and Where, The
AD 29 JESUS' MINISTRY BEGINS
After being baptized by John the Baptist, Jesus began his ministry in Judea, Samaria, and Galilee. His ministry was characterized by healing the sick, raising the dead, restoring sight to the blind, and preaching about the Kingdom of God. In his three years of ministry, Jesus gathered twelve disciples and prepared them to continue his work after he was gone. Jesus' earthly ministry ended with his crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension.
—Complete Book of When and Where, The
AD 30 JESUS CELEBRATES PASSOVER DURING HIS MINISTRY Jesus was in Jerusalem on April 7, AD 30, celebrating the Passover for the first time since he had begun his public ministry. At the Passover Jesus drove the merchants and money changers out of the Temple and performed miracles, but the Jewish people viewed him only as a miracle worker (John 2:13-25). However, one man did truly believe in him during that festival. Nicodemus, a leader of the Pharisees, came to Jesus one evening seeking to learn more about his message. Jesus told him that to enter the Kingdom of God, he had to be born again. He told Nicodemus of the coming salvation and the coming judgment, and declared that believing in him as Messiah was the only way to obtain salvation (John 3:1-21). Not only did Nicodemus later defend Jesus before the Sanhedrin (John 7:50-51), but he also prepared Jesus' body for burial (John 19:39-40).
—Complete Book of When and Where, The
AD 33 JESUS TRIUMPHANTLY ENTERS JERUSALEM
On March 30, AD 33, four days before the Jewish Passover, Jesus directed his disciples to go to a village to find a donkey and a colt, in fulfillment of a prophecy in Zechariah 9:9. Jesus mounted the colt and rode it into Jerusalem as the people waved palm branches and laid down their coats for him, shouting, "Bless the King who comes in the name of the Lord!" To the faithful Jew, this scene brought to mind the occasion when Solomon rode a donkey into Jerusalem to be proclaimed the king of the Jews (1 Kings 1:33-46). This event was the official entry of Jesus the Messiah into Jerusalem. This also was the day when Passover lambs were selected, and Jesus was presenting himself as the Passover Lamb.
—Complete Book of When and Where, The
THE LAST SUPPER
April 2, AD 33
It was Jesus' last night before his crucifixion.
On April 2, AD 33, Jesus sent Peter and John to prepare the Passover meal for him to eat with his disciples (Luke 22:7-13).
There at the Last Supper, Jesus instituted the New covenant, replacing the Old covenant of Mount Sinai. At the institution of the Old covenant, Moses, Aaron, Aaron's sons, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel had gone up to the top of Mount Sinai where they saw God and shared a meal together with him (Exodus 24:9-11). Which person of the Trinity did they see and eat with? It was God the Son, whose role is to represent the Godhead visibly to humanity (John 1:18). Thus the Old covenant was instituted at a meal between God the Son and the elders of Israel. Now in the upper room, the New covenant was instituted at a meal between God the Son and the disciples, the elders of the church (cf. 1 Peter 5:1; 2 John 1; 3 John 1).
At the Last Supper, when Jesus said, "This is my blood, which seals the covenant" (Matthew 26-28), the words (except for my) were identical to the Greek Septuagint's translation of Moses' words at the institution of the Old covenant (Exodus 24:8). Clearly Jesus was instituting a New covenant to replace the Old covenant.
The covenants of the Bible were treaties between God and his people. Thus it is sig-nificant that Jesus says, "This wine is the token of God's new covenant to save you—an agreement sealed with the blood I will pour out for you" (Luke 22:20). Since the time of Homer, the pouring out of a cup of wine was the normal way of sealing a treaty between nations. This ritual was so central to treaty making that the Greek word for "libation" became the word for "treaty." Thus Jesus used this contemporary treaty symbolism to make sure everyone understood that he was instituting a New covenant or treaty with his people.
Since the Old covenant contained commandments, one would expect that the New covenant would contain a new commandment. Thus at the Last Supper Jesus says, "Now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other" (John 13:34).
After Jesus had identified Judas Iscariot as the one who would betray him and Simon Peter as the one who would deny him (John 13:18-38), he and the disciples crossed the Kidron Valley and went to the garden of Gethsemane (John 18:1; Matthew 26:36).
—Complete Book of When and Where, The
33 THE FIG TREE WITHERS
On March 31, AD 33, the morning after Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, Jesus and his disciples left the town of Bethany, where they had spent the night. Being hungry, Jesus approached a fig tree to pick some fruit, but it had no fruit—only leaves. He cursed the tree saying, "May no one ever eat your fruit again!" (Mark 11:12-14). Jesus was giving a visual parable of the Temple in Jerusalem. Like the fruitless fig tree, the Temple was beautiful to look at but produced no spiritual fruit. When Jesus arrived in Jerusalem, he drove out the merchants and their customers from the Temple. Jesus and his disciples passed by the fig tree the next day and saw that it had withered, foretelling the Temple's destruction in AD 70 (Mark 11:12-19).
—Complete Book of When and Where, The
33 JESUS GIVES THE OLIVET DISCOURSE
After leaving the Temple on April 1, 33, Jesus and his disciples went to the Mount of Olives where the disciples asked him when the destruction of the Temple would take place. Jesus gave them a foreboding message saying that nations would war against each other, great earthquakes would take place, and famines and epidemics would break out. He told them that his disciples would be dragged into court and thrown into prisons, and many would be killed. Once they saw Jerusalem surrounded by armies, they were to flee before the city and Temple were destroyed. The destruction of the Temple would precede the age of the Gentiles, in which we now live, when the church is made up primarily of Gentiles. Jesus will return at the end of this age (Luke 21:7-24).
—Complete Book of When and Where, The
33 JESUS SERVES THE LAST SUPPER
On April 2, 33, at a Jerusalem Passover meal known as the Last Supper, Jesus initiated the New covenant, replacing the Old covenant made with Israel generations before at Mount Sinai. That night Jesus broke the unleavened bread of Passover and passed the wine for the celebration saying, "This is my body, given for you... This wine is the token of God's new covenant to save you—an agreement sealed with the blood I will pour out for you" (Luke 22:19-20). After Jesus identified Judas as the one who would betray him and Peter as the one who would deny him, he led the disciples across the Kidron Valley to the Garden of Gethsemane. There, after Jesus prayed and while the disciples slept, Judas led the Roman soldiers to arrest Jesus (Luke 22:1-54).
—Complete Book of When and Where, The
THE CRUCIFIXION
April 3, AD 33
They crucified their King.
In the early hours of April 3, AD 33, Jesus was taken to Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor.
"Are you the king of the Jews?" he asked him....
Jesus answered, "I am not an earthly king. If I were, my followers would have fought when I was arrested by the Jewish leaders. But my Kingdom is not of this world."
Pilate replied, "You are a king then?"
"You say that I am a king, and you are right," Jesus said.......
Then [Pilate] went out again to the people and told them, "He is not guilty of any crime. But you have a custom of asking me to release someone from prison each year at Passover. So if you want me to, I'll release the King of the Jews."
But they shouted back, "No! Not this man, but Barabbas!" (Barabbas was a criminal.)
"But if I release Barabbas," Pilate asked them, "what should I do with Jesus who is called the Messiah?"
And they all shouted, "Crucify him!" ...
[Pilate] sent for a bowl of water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, "I am innocent of the blood of this man. The responsibility is yours!"
And all the people yelled back, "We will take responsibility for his death—we and our children!"
So Pilate released Barabbas to them. He ordered Jesus flogged with a lead-tipped whip, then turned him over to the Roman soldiers. (John 18:33-40; Matthew 27:22-26)
The next event was truly remarkable. Though Jesus had been born to be king and had been anointed by the Holy Spirit following his baptism (Acts 10:38), he had never been officially crowned. After the soldiers beat Jesus they coronated him—using all the major features of the coronation of a Caesar.
In the Roman Empire it was frequently the soldiers who chose the next Caesar. Here the soldiers set a crown of thorns on Jesus' head and put a royal purple robe on him (John 19:2). (At this time becoming Caesar was known as "donning the purple.") They placed a stick in his right hand as a scepter and knelt before him in mockery, yelling, "Hail! King of the Jews!" (Matthew 27:29).
Then "Pilate went outside again and said to the people, 'I am going to bring him out to you now, but understand clearly that I find him not guilty.' Then Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. And Pilate said, 'Here is the man!'
"When they saw him, the leading priests and Temple guards began shouting, 'Crucify! Crucify!'... So they took Jesus and led him away (John 19:4-6, 16).
They crucified him on Skull Hill ("Golgotha" in Hebrew) between two thieves. Pilate had a sign placed over him that said, "Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews." At three in the afternoon an earthquake shook Jerusalem as Jesus died, just as the Passover lambs were being slain all over Jerusalem (John 19:16-30; Matthew 27:33-50).
—Complete Book of When and Where, The
33 JESUS IS CRUCIFIED
After his betrayal, Jesus appeared before the Jewish court, called the Sanhedrin, and then was sent to the governor Pontius Pilate to be tried by the Roman authorities early on the morning of April 3, 33. When Pilate asked Jesus whether he was the King of the Jews, Jesus answered, "Yes, it is as you say." Although Pilate did not find Jesus guilty of any crime, the Jews demanded that he order Jesus' crucifixion. Pilate knew their accusations against Jesus were false, yet he agreed to the crucifixion. Jesus was severely beaten, mocked by the Roman soldiers, spat upon, cursed, and made to carry a heavy wooden cross to a hill named Golgotha where he was crucified. At three in the afternoon, when the lambs were slaughtered for the Passover, an earthquake shook the earth as Jesus died. The Lamb of God had died for the sins of the world (Matthew 27:1-56; John 1:29; 18:33-40).
—Complete Book of When and Where, The
33 JESUS LIVES
On Sunday morning, April 5, 33, Mary Magdalene and several other women went to Jesus' tomb to embalm his body, as was customary at that time. When they got there, they saw that the huge stone in front of the tomb had been rolled away and the tomb was empty! Two angels then appeared to the women and told them Jesus had risen from the dead, just as he had said. The women ran to tell Peter and the other disciples what had happened. Jesus then appeared to two of the disciples as they were walking to Emmaus and later to the disciples in an upper room where they were gathered together. Jesus had indeed risen from the dead! (Luke 24:1-49).
—Complete Book of When and Where, The
33 JESUS ASCENDS TO HEAVEN
On May 14, 33, forty days after his resurrection from the dead, Jesus again appeared to his disciples and led them up the Mount of Olives. There he blessed them and commissioned them to go to all nations, preaching the gospel. As his disciples stood by watching, Jesus ascended into the sky and soon vanished into heaven in a cloud. As the disciples continued to gaze into the sky, hoping to catch another glimpse of the Lord, two angels clothed in brilliant white robes suddenly appeared among them. The angels promised the disciples that Jesus would return someday, in the same manner they had just witnessed him leave. The disciples then returned to Jerusalem to wait for the Holy Spirit, whom Jesus had promised would come to them (Matthew 28:16-20; Mark 16:9-20; Luke 24:44-53; Acts 1:1-12).
—Complete Book of When and Where, The
33 THE HOLY SPIRIT COMES AT PENTECOST
May 24, 33, was Pentecost, the beginning of the Feast of Weeks, and Jewish men from all over the Roman Empire had gathered to offer their firstfruits to God. For the ten days since Jesus' ascension, the disciples had gathered together praying. On this day, as they prayed, they were startled by a loud roaring and tongues of fire that appeared over their heads. This event marked the fulfillment of Jesus' promise of the coming Holy Spirit. As they preached, they found themselves speaking foreign languages that they did not know. Then Peter stepped forward and powerfully proclaimed the gospel of Christ. Peter's message brought deep conviction to many listeners, and three thousand were added to the church that day. This event marked the beginning of the early church's rapid growth (Acts 2:1-42).
—Complete Book of When and Where, The