BETWEEN THE TESTAMENTS

            The world in which Jesus travelled bore little resemblance to the one we saw depicted in Malachi (the last book of the OT). The enemy nations of Israel, namely Babylon, Assyria, and Persia, were no longer the dominant powers in that region. It was at this time that the Roman Empire rose into a powerful juggernaut*. Its boundaries extended from the Mediterranean Sea to North Africa and even spread into parts of Europe. The ruler of Rome was a cruel, self-serving king by the name of Herod. It was he who was placed in charge of the Jews to keep things orderly and quiet.

            As the OT reveals to us, the split kingdom of Israel had been taken over by enemy nations. The Northern Kingdom was controlled by Assyria and the Southern Kingdom by Babylon. Jehovah God allowed all this to take place as the consequence of Israel’s sin and refusal to remain faithful to God. The prophets had warned Israel repeatedly, but they declined to be moved by these warnings. 

            In Malachi we see that the Israelites had just recently returned to Judah, the capital city of the Southern Kingdom, from Babylonian captivity. The first thing they intended to do was rebuilt the Temple, which was their center of worship. The priests and prophets, who had been the community leaders since ancient times, sought to repopulate the land, drive out their enemies, and learn all over again how to worship God in the way He desired to be worshipped; with a sincere heart and dogged determination.

            In Matthew, the Jews were settled in and felt secure under the “Pax Romana”, the peace of Rome. They no longer worshipped only in the Temple, but in one of the dozens of synagogues that had sprung up throughout the country’s towns and villages. The priests were no longer the only ones people sought leadership from. There were now a new array of religious authorities as well, such as the Pharisees, Sadducees, and the scribes (who were the teachers of the law). All of these authorities sat on a governing body called the “high council” or Sanhedrin, which functioned somewhat like a religious Supreme Court.

            During the period between the testaments, the most noticeable thing was the lack of prophets. That is why some refer to this period of time as “The Silent Years”. For more than 400 years the heavens seemed closed to Israel, as they heard absolutely nothing from God during those years. Nothing but silence.

            Everything changed on an ordinary night in the tiny village of Bethlehem.  During those 400 years between the testaments, years of war, upheaval, flawed heroes and unfulfilled hopes, God was setting the stage for the final era of what would be known as ‘salvation’ history, the Age of Grace; an era of Good News for both Jews and Gentiles.

            Over the next few days I will cover the 4 periods that existed during those 400 years of silence. The Persian Period ^{(539 thru 336 B.C.)}, the Hellenistic Period ^{(336 thru 165 B.C.)}, the Maccabean Period ^{(165 thru 63 B.C.)}, and the Roman Period ^{(63 B.C thru 135 A.D.)}. Until then, walk with the King and be a blessing.

In His Name and for His Glory,

Richard Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

Resource: The Life Application Study Bible; pp. 1979-1982
* An unstoppable force; something enormous in size and/or power. [American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. (2011).]