Part Six
The Temple Incident
Good Friday? or Good Wednesday?
Based upon the testimony of the lunar records previously mentioned, the “acceptable year of the LORD” occurred in AD 26. The Gospel of Luke further mentions that the events surrounding the Baptism of Yeshua took place at a time when Pilate was governor of Judea (See Luke 3:1). Historians who have no vested interest in the outcomes of biblical times and dates confirm that Pilate came to govern Judea in AD 26. Therefore no chronology regarding the public ministries of John the Baptist and Yeshua can be set before this time. The New Testament writers are forcing us to be very precise in our dating of these events; and if we reconcile all of their hints they give us, the year AD 26 continues to ring true. We have come to understand the validity of these truths through the consistent testimony of the Sun and the Moon. This is the time keeping system of His own choosing. But now we must broaden our perspectives of time as it relates to the systems which have been employed by man.
Today our world calculates the new year through Roman time standards regulated by the Catholic Church. But very early in the Bible times, many nations had developed their own unique methods of calculating years. As history progressed and Kingdoms emerged, the time keeping system of the ruling King enforced his time keeping system upon the nations he ruled in order to unify his Kingdom. So before we proceed into this portion of our study, we must first understand that years within the Roman Empire at the time of Christ were measured by counting the reignal years of Tiberius Cesar. With this in mind, I would like to draw your attention to the grid below. Note that the 14th anniversary of Tiberius Cesar’s co-regency took place on October 23rd, AD 26. But Luke says that Christ's baptism occurred “in” the 15th year of Tiberius’s reign. It is very important for us to understand that his baptism occurred “within” the 15th year of Tiberius (not after the 15th year). That means the baptism of Yeshua could not have taken place on any date pre-ceding October 23rd. Additionally, we understand from Daniel’s prophecy that the Messiah’s the public ministry ended in the middle of the 70th week.
We interpret this to mean that Yeshua died 3 ½ years later. The October 23rd anniversary of Tiberius’s reign forces the time of Christ’s baptism into a very narrow window. How narrow? To achieve a 3 ½ year earthly ministry which terminates at Passover, Yeshua’s baptism would have taken place shortly after October 23rd of AD 26. Interestingly, lunar records show that the anniversary of Tiberius’s reign took place right in the middle of the Feast of Tabernacles in the year AD 26. If we are looking for significant evidence which coincides with the Messiah and the biblical festivals, here is a point of time that has been overlooked by many. Take note that I have put a special marker pointing to “the temple incident” in the grid below. The temple incident relates to the first the Passover of the Messiah’s public ministry.
Here is how John describes the event “He made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area …Then the Jews demanded of him, "What miraculous sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?" Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days." The Jews replied, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?" (John 2:15-20) Many are likely to draw their attention to his remark about rising from the dead in three days; but what has been overlooked was the reply made by the Jewish leaders: "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple”. What is there to gain from this statement? We can use this information to validate the year that the “Temple incident” occurred by locating the year when the temple was renovated. (It had become damaged in an earthquake that took place in 31 BC) The date for this renovation was in 19 BC. By going forward in time 46 years we see Yeshua was speaking to the leaders at the Passover of 27 AD.
All of the dates presented so far put the date of Daniel’s 490 year prophecy into a framework that points to the year AD 30 as the crucifixion year; not AD 31. (A date largely accepted by the Sabbatarian communities). This leads us to ponder an interesting phenomenon which the Jews have related to their people for the last two millennia: "Our rabbis taught: During the last forty years before the destruction of the Temple the lot ['For the Lord'] did not come up in the right hand; nor did the crimson-colored strap become white; nor did the western most light shine; and the doors of the Hekel [Temple] would open by themselves" (Soncino version, Yoma 39b). The Jews (who have no vested interest in the outcome of which day or year the Messiah died) remember that strange phenomena occurred 40 years before the temple was destroyed. The date when these things began to happen was the year AD 30 (after the Messiah was crucified). Does not this strange phenomena relate to Daniel’s prophecy which says “in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease”? (Daniel 9:27)