3 Reasons Jesus Came When He Did
This short post summarizes a presentation of some work done by J. Warner Wallace, a homicide detective, and Christian apologist. He is also a professor of Apologetics at Talbot School of Theology. He’s authored several books including “Cold-Case Christianity” and many others where he uses his detective skills with apologetics. In this presentation, J. Warner presented 3 big reasons God sent Jesus at the time He did, a work based on his book “Person of Interest.”
Link to Video: https://youtu.be/7E1FDAqZgGk?si=PzTQP4P6vYqx-bau
Ancient Myths Were at an All-Time High
Around the 1st century, there was a lot of time for ancient myths to slowly add up to exist in high numbers by the time Jesus came. J. Warner displays a timeline in the video with common ancient myths that developed in previous centuries that were worshipped in the 1st century A.D., the largest number of them overlapped in this time period. If God wanted to show up at a point in history when these myths were being worshipped in high density, so there were people with common expectations and expectations of deity. He would most certainly show up when the most number of gods were still being worshipped. God can’t stir up the pot if there are no ingredients in it. J. Warner says the best time for this to happen would be between 350 B.C. and A.D. 250. This overlap time when most humans were searching and thinking about the nature of God would be the perfect period for God to shatter or meet the expectations of man.
Gospel Message Spreadability
If God wanted to come at a time in history when the relationship of nations and navigation aligned to spread the Gospel, He would have come during the Roman Empire. The Roman Empire controlled and was the center of the ancient world, and they dominated the language of the people they ruled over. Most Roman citizens spoke the language of the Empire, Koine Greek. Romans also built all of the roads the Apostle Paul traveled on, so the interconnectedness of the Roman Empire offered easy transport of the message compared to previous times in human history.
There was also a period of peace in the Roman Empire. It was named Pax Romana and it began around 27 B.C. and lasted about 200 years until the A.D. 180s. During this period, great roads were built and ideas could flourish. This means that the Gospel message had its prime time to spread during the Pax Romana. This shrinks the time frame from (350 B.C. - A.D. 250) to (27 B.C. - A.D. 180).
Jewish Prophecy
The final reason for why Jesus appeared when He did that J. Warner mentions is Jewish Prophecy. Keep in mind that God has been working with Israel, revealing His plans and Messiah. So whatever God revealed to them, must be fulfilled. The Prophet Daniel says that the Messiah has to come after a decree to rebuild Jerusalem and be “cut off” before the destruction of the temple. This prophecy is found in Daniel 9:24-27. “Seventy weeks are decreed about your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet and to anoint the holiest place. Know therefore and understand that from the going out of the word to restore and build Jerusalem to the coming of an anointed one, a prince, there shall be seven weeks. Then for sixty-two weeks it shall be built again with squares and moat, but in a troubled time. And after the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one shall be cut off and shall have nothing. And the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. Its end shall come with a flood, and to the end there shall be war. Desolations are decreed and he shall make a strong covenant with many for one week, and for half of the week he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator.”
This time frame is between 445 B.C. and no later than A.D. 70. Adding this time frame to the already existing frame we have, it goes from (27 B.C. - A.D. 180) to (27 B.C. - A.D. 70). Something very big in history happens in this gap. An event that was so important that it kickstarted and created the timeline we used for this post, which split the current calendar. Someone who enabled the common era. The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Conclusion
This genius work done by J. Warner Wallace just adds to the evidence of the reliability of Jesus Christ. If God wanted to come at a time in human history when His message would best be expected, spread, maintained, and testified to the strongest, it would be at the time that He sent His only begotten Son. There are so many religious systems and ideologies that pre-date Christ, and they had plenty of time to prove their truth value. Then came along Jesus, who proved His truth value in just 33 years. Nothing could change human history as dramatically as Jesus Christ and His death on the cross.
To deny Jesus Christ’s unique Historical effect is to deny history itself. Something happened in those 97 years that split the calendar, forgave sin, and started the common era. Praises God for so wonderfully redeeming His people, may you remain humble, and thank God for the love He displayed on the Cross, and the love He will provide now. AmenCross, and the love He will provide now. Amen.
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