Galatians 4:4-5 says, “But when the fulness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.” This tells us that God had Jesus come at a specific time in history as the Greek word ‘pleroma’, here translated ‘fullness’ means at the completeness of a time.
I’ve heard many sermons on this Scripture and the speakers always point out, correctly I might add, that this refers to the fact that when Jesus came, God had prepared the world for the rapid spread of the gospel. For instance, when Jesus came there was a peace, the ‘Pax Romano’, that existed in the Roman Empire and would for the next 2 centuries. This enabled people to travel from place to place in relative safety. Also, the empire was now connected, almost throughout, by a system of roads, patrolled if needed by Roman soldiers and making travel from one place to another easier. Also, the Greek language was now spoken almost universally throughout the empire, so communication with other different ethnic groups was easier than ever.
While it is true that God had indeed prepared the way for a rapid spread of gospel, I believe there was more to what Paul was saying in Galatians 4:4. When Paul said that God sent the Messiah to the earth at the fulfillment, or completion, of time, I believe he was referring to the fulfillment of an Old Testament prophecy that pin-pointed the exact time of His arrival.
In Daniel 9:24-27, there is a prophecy known as the “Prophecy of 70 Weeks.” In that prophecy the angel Gabriel told Daniel in verse 25 that “from the going forth of a command to restore and build Jerusalem until ‘Messiah’ the Prince there would be 7 weeks and 62 weeks, and that at the end of that period Messiah would be cut off (killed), but not for Himself” (verse 26).
I know of almost no Christian interpretation of this prophecy that doesn’t recognize that each day of the 70 weeks is equal to one year in time; so that 7 years (49 days) plus 62 weeks (434 days) would equal 483 days and if a day equals a year, 483 years. So, the prophecy has always been taken to mean that from the going forth of a command to restore and build Jerusalem until Messiah there would be a span of 483 years. The question is this? Was a command ever given in the Bible concerning this? The answer is, “Yes.”
In Nehemiah 1, he is told that, even after 100 years of being back in the land, the city of Jerusalem’s walls are still burnt and broken down. In despair over this, he approaches the ruler of the Persian Empire, Artaxerses, and in chapter 2:1-8 he receives permission from the reigning monarch to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the walls and restore the city, exactly in line with Daniel’s prophecy. This was in the year 444 BC. According to Futurist Expositors, the Jews used a 360-day Lunar calendar and according to their calendar 483 lunar years brings us to the year 32 BC, which they say is the year Jesus was crucified. Traditional Protestant interpreters disagree with their timetable and believe he was crucified 2-3 years earlier, but this is not the place to debate this issue.
But whichever interpretation you espouse, the point is this. The Scripture clearly specifies the exact time Messiah was to be revealed to Israel and there is only one person that appeared in that period of history who was qualified to fulfill it, The Lord Jesus Christ. God’s word never fails!
For God’s glory and His alone,
Pastor Terry.