Why Is 27 AD Important

Daily Cross

“In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar—when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and Traconitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene— during the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” Luke 3:1-3 (NIV)

All these people mentioned in Luke 3 were part of God’s plan. Some interacted directly with our Lord, and all knew Him during His ministry. Some participated in our Lord’s Crucifixion, but one, Tiberius Caesar, did not know Him then.

Anno Domini (AD)—The Year of Our Lord was introduced in 525 AD by the monk Dionysius Exiguus. He placed the birth of our Lord on December 1 BC. Dionysius Exiguus's dating system was not widely used until the 9th century by the Gregorian and Julian calendars. I believe the monk used Luke 3:1-3 as the foundation for calculating the birth year of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Tiberius Caesar was the stepson of Augustus Caesar, the first Roman emperor. In Mark 12:13, the Pharisees and Herodians tried to trap our Lord with a question about the imperial tax. Our Lord knew their hypocrisy and asked, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?”, “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.” This Caesar was Triberius Caesar. Tiberius Caesar was born in 42 BC and became the second Roman emperor, reigning solo from 14 AD to 37 AD after Augustus's death.

Luke mentions the fifteenth year of Tiberius Caesar's reign; for most, it is 14 AD + 15 = 29 AD, when John the Baptist started his ministry in the wilderness. The monk calculated this year as the first year of our Lord’s ministry since John baptized our Lord in the Jordan River to start His 3-year ministry when He was 30. Because of this, the monk believed our Lord's birth year to be 1 BC and created the Anno Domini (AD) calendar. I found evidence that Tiberius Caesar’s reign started earlier because Augustus Caesar was sick and not fit to govern the Roman empire. There were a few years of co-reign between Tiberius and Augustus before Tiberius assumed the official title of Caesar after Augustus’s death. Everyone listened to him while Augustus Caesar was still alive. I think Tiberius may have started his reign in 9 AD, so the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar fell in 24 AD when our Lord started His ministry on Earth. Then three years later, He was crucified and resurrected 3 days later in 27 AD.

Why is 27 AD important?

If the monk had known the year of Herod's death at 4 BC, registered by Jewish historian Josephus in the first century, I think the Anno Domini (AD) would have been calculated differently. Herod the Great (c. 72 BCE – c. 4 BCE) was a famous Roman Jewish client king known for his colossal building projects throughout Judea. His death and how he died a painful death after one year of severe illness were well recorded by Jewish historians. If Herod the Great ordered the executions in 5 BC after he met with the Magis before he got sick, it means the birth year of our Lord has to be in 6 BC because Herod the Great tried to kill all boys under two years old to avoid a margin of error. If our Lord had been born after 4 BC (between 1 BC and 4 BC), Herod the Great would not have known about our Lord from the Magis and could have never ordered the execution of children under two years old because Herod died in 4 BC. The Bible would be telling a false story.

There was a famous prophet who obeyed God and married a prostitute 2,800 years ago. Hosea obeyed God’s command and married Gomer, an unfaithful woman. The Book of Hosea shows God's faithful love despite Israel’s unfaithfulness. Besides the message of unconditional love, this is the only book in the Bible that indicates the timeline for the return of our Lord for the first revival:

“Come, let us return to the Lord. He has torn us to pieces but he will heal us; he has injured us but he will bind up our wounds. After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will restore us, that we may live in his presence. Let us acknowledge the Lord; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth.” Hosea 6:1-3 (NIV)

^“But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.” 2 Peter 3:8 (NIV)

If one day is like a thousand years, two days are two thousand years. If our Lord was born in 6 BC, crucified 33 years later, and resurrected in 3 days in 27 AD, two thousand years later is 2027. I’m convinced our Lord’s return is very soon, and we are in the second half of the Tribulation. Some have argued that two days could be 2010 years or 2020 years, which I have heard before. I don’t know. It is like saying that God doesn’t know math.

I understand that there is fear because we are attached to this world and fear the unknown. That’s why I often suggest that disciples should focus on the Cross and stay in the eye of the storm when there is calmness. All the events are temporary. Everything that is happening by all Tribulation actors shouldn’t disturb us because our peace is built in our Lord alone. Remember that He is faithful, and His love can never be cancelled. We are called to do our part as disciples and to be faithful. Because those who stand firm and be faithful till the end shall see Him face to face.

Becomelects Ministry