400 years of silence

Thanksgiving is now over and we can not officially look toward Christmas as our next official Holiday. I know you have seen Christmas advertisements in stores Halloween, and I saw people decorating for Christmas well before Thanksgiving, but now it’s official, The Christmas season is upon us. And as we look forward to Christmas, and as Christians, we look forward to the celebration of the birth of Christ, I wanted to look at the time before the birth of Christ. I want us to look at the time before Christ but after the time of the Old Testament.

It is called the intertestamental period, or the 400 years of silence. It is the blank pages in your bible between Malachi and Matthew.

The OT closes at about 425 BC and the Jewish people, who had been living in exile in Babylon since 605 BC were slowly being restored to their land. The Persian Empire was the dominant governmental structure at the time. For the Jews living in Babylon, they were ministered to by God through the prophets of Daniel and Ezekiel. The Jews that had been reestablished in their homeland were being ministered to by the prophets of Haggai, Zechariah, Ezra, Nehemiah and Malachi.

When we pick up in Matthew, the Jews are mostly together in Isreal, there is Roman rule in the land and the Jews are directly governed by an Edomite King, Harod. There is a massive influence of Greek thought and culture.

You know how when you are watching a tv show and you have to wait until the next season. That first episode of the next season features a recap.....Previously on .........

But when you start reading the New Testament you jump into the genealogy of Jesus.... and you may find yourself flipping back to Malachi trying to figure out, “what did I miss?”

As briefly as I can, here is what you missed......

The Persian Empire led by Darius III was defeated by Greek Empire led by Alexander the Great.

Remember Hans’ Gruber in Die Hard?

“When Alexander saw the breadth of his domain, he wept for there were no more worlds to conquer.”

Alexander literally conquered the known world and the number one export was Greek philosophy, culture and religion.

Alexander died in 323 BC and his empire was split into four.

Ptolemy - One of Alexander’s Generals was given Egypt, and quickly took control of Isreal. The Ptolemaic Dynasty continued to push Geek culture.

the Syrian empire to the north offered the grass is always greener ideas and Jews were split between a pro-Syrian Hellenizing party and orthodox Jews.

In 198 BC the Syrians took control of the Jewish region and life got hard for the devout Jews. A pro-Syrian, Jason, took the office of High Priest. Political turmoil ensued that led Antiochus to forbid sacrifices, outlaw circumcision, canceled observation of the Sabbath. And his greatest act of insult to the Jews was that he went to the holy place and built and alter to Zeus.

This didn’t sit well with the the orthodox Jews who led Maccabean revolt and in 165 BC.Jews had retaken Jerusalem and cleansed the Temple. Isreal would gain the independence in 142 BC.

The High Priest became a position of political power rather than someone from the line of Aaron, which didn’t sit well with the orthodox, and when a guy named John Hyrcanus became Governor and High Priest he began to refer to himself as King. There was a split of those that said only one from the line of David could be King (Pharisees). and those that supported the current King and opposed the Pharisees, the Sadducees.

Then in 64 BC The Roman General Pompey conquered Syria and took Jerusalem by force. Julius Caesar in 47BC installed a leader of Judea (Antipator) who’s son Harod would become King.

Not one prophet was raised up. No The only miracle ever claimed during that time was when the Temple was cleansed one vile of oil lasted 8 Days… Hanukkah.

The last word the Jews had received from God was the promise, in Malachi 4

Malachi 4:3–6 NASB95

3 “You will tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day which I am preparing,” says the Lord of hosts. 4 “Remember the law of Moses My servant, even the statutes and ordinances which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel. 5 “Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord. 6 “He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and smite the land with a curse.”

How far away that promise must have felt by those that loved God.

Can you imagine?

We look at history with one consciousness. We see the whole 400 years as if they occured instantaneous. We have this top down perspective.....

But 400 years ago… 1620

Mayflower… Half the people that came to the from England on that ship died. Think of everything that has occured in our 400 year history.

For the Jew in 4 BC. ( the conception of John the Baptist) Can you put yourself in a mother or father’s shoes? Your son or daughter comes to you. Not in an accusatory of hostile way, but have a religious celebration or feast where the world of God had been celebrated and asks…Where is God now?

It is 2020. We have not had a written word from God for almost two thousand years. We cling to our bible and come together to worship God, but when trouble is all around us. When we see opposition against the faith mounting. When the world says that the things we believe in and the morality that God’s word teaches is considered evil and hate speech. When “religious” leaders are found the be nothing but con artists interested only in how much money they can put in their pocket. When tornados tear up our houses and businesses , disease grips our country, and the world. When politicians seem to only care about their power and not the people.

And when someone, not to win an argument, but looking for hope, ask you, Where’s God?

How do you answer?

Daniel 8:3–8 NASB95

3 Then I lifted my eyes and looked, and behold, a ram which had two horns was standing in front of the canal. Now the two horns were long, but one was longer than the other, with the longer one coming up last. 4 I saw the ram butting westward, northward, and southward, and no other beasts could stand before him nor was there anyone to rescue from his power, but he did as he pleased and magnified himself. 5 While I was observing, behold, a male goat was coming from the west over the surface of the whole earth without touching the ground; and the goat had a conspicuous horn between his eyes. 6 He came up to the ram that had the two horns, which I had seen standing in front of the canal, and rushed at him in his mighty wrath. 7 I saw him come beside the ram, and he was enraged at him; and he struck the ram and shattered his two horns, and the ram had no strength to withstand him. So he hurled him to the ground and trampled on him, and there was none to rescue the ram from his power. 8 Then the male goat magnified himself exceedingly. But as soon as he was mighty, the large horn was broken; and in its place there came up four conspicuous horns toward the four winds of heaven.

Daniel 8:20–22 NASB95

20 “The ram which you saw with the two horns represents the kings of Media and Persia. 21 “The shaggy goat represents the kingdom of Greece, and the large horn that is between his eyes is the first king. 22 “The broken horn and the four horns that arose in its place represent four kingdoms which will arise from his nation, although not with his power.

During the time that we think of as God being silent…We was in control.

John 14:1–3 NASB95

1 “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 “In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. 3 “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.