The angel Gabriel gave three prophecies to Daniel. Look at the second one. He said, “A command will come to rebuild Jerusalem. The time from this command until the appointed leader comes will be forty-nine years and four hundred thirty-four years” (Daniel 9:25 NCV). The Hebrew term for “appointed leader” means Messiah…Jesus Christ. The angel mentioned two blocks of time, for a total of 483 years.

Nehemiah was a high-ranking exiled Jewish ruler. He made a request to Artaxerxes to rebuild Jerusalem, and the king agreed. According to the Hebrew calendar, the 483rd year occurred during the Passover of AD 33, on April 6 – the very year and day that Jesus rode into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey. Our Savior fulfilled Gabriel’s prophecy. What a testimony to the authority of the Bible!

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