The Book of Daniel in the Old Testament contains a somewhat cryptic prophecy foretelling the timeframe of the coming of the Messiah. When the prophecy was deciphered, the timeframe pointed to the first century AD, exactly the time when Christ came among humanity. Thus, at the time of Jesus, there was a great deal of expectation that the Messiah would soon arrive.
The Jewish expectation was that a great leader anointed by God would come forward to lead the people out from under the oppression of the Romans. He would then establish the Reign of God, forging a great kingdom, greater than that of Solomon, which would be filled with abundant blessings. The people living at the time of Jesus eagerly looked for the signs indicating the arrival of the Messiah.
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