About 26 AD (About 2,000 years ago)
During the early part of the first century of this era, Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River by John the Baptist, who announced that Jesus is the Messiah -- the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29-34).
In those verses, John also testifies that he witnessed God anointing Jesus as the Messiah. The word Messiah means Anointed One. It refers to the chosen one of God who is anointed to be the savior of the world, to suffer and die for the sins of others.
Previously, John had prepared people for the arrival of the Messiah by preaching about the Kingdom of God, by calling people to repent of their sins, and by prophesying that someone greater than him was about to arrive.
After the baptism, Jesus began his public ministry as the Messiah, the son of God, who had been predicted by many generations of prophets during the time of the Old Testament.
Some scholars estimate that Jesus began his public ministry in late AD 26, and that it lasted for three-and-a-half years, ending in early AD 30, about 2,000 years ago. During this time, he traveled throughout Israel, preaching about the Kingdom of God, performing miracles, and giving predictive prophecies about the future, many of which already have been fulfilled.
During the first century, Jesus’ followers wrote the 27 books of the New Testament, explaining that Jesus is the Messiah who suffered and died for the sins of others, so that believers would have eternal life in the Kingdom of God.
You can read more about Jesus as the Messiah, as a miracle worker, and as a prophet in a trilogy of books by Ray Konig, Jesus the Messiah, Jesus the Prophet, Jesus the Miracle Worker
Related offsite article: 40 prophecies that show that Jesus is the Messiah
Next: Jesus talks of God's love and plan of salvation
Go to: Bible history timeline