Daniel Visited by Gabriel

We continued our study of Daniel 9 in which Daniel describes a visit from the angel Gabriel. Gabriel tells him that Jesus will start his ministry in 483 years.

Note: History records that in the year 457 B.C., the King of Persia, Artaxerxes, issued a decree instructing officials in the province west of the Euphrates to give Ezra "whatever he requests of you" in his efforts to rebuild Jerusalem, reinstitute the Temple services, appoint judges and magistrates, and teach the Law (Ezra 7:11-26). This is a historical fact recorded in the Book of Ezra long before the life and times of Jesus of Nazareth, and it reveals the starting point for the 483 year countdown.

If you go forward 483 years from 457 B.C., to 27 A.D. (note that the year zero doesn't count as a year and the Jewish calendar has 360 days in a year) it is the year that marks the beginning of Jesus's ministry (it's generally accepted that His ministry lasted 3 to 3.5 years, and Jesus was crucified in spring of the year A.D. 31).

We learned from these verses that our prayers are heard instantly by God and that God knows the future.