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Course Name: [ Old Testament Survey ]
Lesson Eighteen: [ From Malachi to Matthew ]
—What Happened Between the Old and New Testaments
!The Old Testament
prophetic books conclude with Malachi, yet events
continued to unfold after Malachi’s time that eventually led to the birth of
a baby boy in Bethlehem of Judea. With His birth the world would never
be the same!
!This approximately four-hundred-year period, from the time of Nehemiah
and Malachi until the birth of Christ, is referred to as the “Intertestamental Period.” It is also sometimes called “the silent years.”
!While we do not have the record of a clear prophetic voice during these
years, God was at work purposefully preparing the world for the coming
of His Son and the spread of the gospel He would proclaim. The Apostle
Paul describes the culmination of this process in a simple declaration:
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Galatians 4:4 (Msg) But when the time arrived that was set by God
the Father, God sent his Son, born among us of a woman.
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To understand these exciting preparations for Christ’s coming, it is
helpful to divide the four hundred years into six segments corresponding
to the different political powers that controlled Israel.
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1. The Persians
!At the beginning of this Intertestamental Period, Israel was under the rule
of Persia. Let’s review the historical sequence that led to this situation:
! • Approximately two hundred years earlier, God’s judgment had
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fallen on Jerusalem and the Southern Kingdom at the hands of
the Babylonians. At that time King Nebuchadnezzar invaded
Judah and exiled many of the Jewish people from there to
Babylon.
•
Eventually Babylon was conquered by the Persians. The prophet
Daniel, during his tenure serving as a governmental leader in
Babylon, had visions that predicted the rise and fall of several
empires, including the Persian Empire.
NOTES:
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Daniel 8:1, 3-4, 20 (NIV) In the third year of King Belshazzar’s
reign, I, Daniel, had a vision, after the one that had already
appeared to me. … 3 I looked up, and there before me was a ram
with two horns, standing beside the canal, and the horns were
long. One of the horns was longer than the other but grew up
later. 4 I watched the ram as it charged toward the west and the
north and the south. No animal could stand against it, and none
could rescue from its power. It did as it pleased and became
great. … 20 “The two-horned ram that you saw represents the
kings of Media and Persia.”
•
When the Persian King Cyrus took the throne, he authorized a
remnant of Jews to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple
under Zerubbabel’s leadership. After approximately twenty-one
years, the temple was completed and Ezra the scribe led another
group to Jerusalem and established temple worship once again.
•
About twelve years later, Nehemiah, with the blessing and
assistance of the Persian king Artaxerxes, came to Jerusalem to
motivate and direct the people in rebuilding the wall and the gates
of the city.
•
After the wall and gates of Jerusalem had been rebuilt, Nehemiah
returned to his position serving the king of Persia. During this
time, God’s people degenerated morally and spiritually and the
prophet Malachi addressed and denounced many of these sins.
!So a portion of the Jewish people were in Israel while the rest were
dispersed in other places because of the Babylonian and Assyrian exiles
during this part of the Intertestamental Period. This dispersion (known as
the Diaspora), gave rise to the establishment of synagogue worship,
since the Jews in the Diaspora could not worship in Jerusalem.
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2. The Greeks
!The prophet Daniel spoke of another kingdom that would arise and
overtake the Persians. This occurred when Alexander the Great, at
twenty years of age, set his heart on conquering the world. He is pictured
as the “prominent horn” on a goat in the following prophecy:
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Daniel 8:5-7, 21-22 (NIV) As I was thinking about this, suddenly a
goat with a prominent horn between its eyes came from the west,
crossing the whole earth without touching the ground. 6 It came
toward the two-horned ram I had seen standing beside the canal and
charged at it in great rage. 7 I saw it attack the ram furiously, striking
the ram and shattering its two horns. The ram was powerless to stand
against it; the goat knocked it to the ground and trampled on it, and
none could rescue the ram from its power. … 21 The shaggy goat is
the king of Greece, and the large horn between its eyes is the first
king. 22 The four horns that replaced the one that was broken off
represent four kingdoms that will emerge from his nation but will not
have the same power.
Pastor Steve Homcy // From Malachi to Matthew // Page !2
NOTES:
Alexander was motivated by a belief that the Greek culture was a
superior culture. He wanted to create a world that was united by Greek
culture and language—a policy and process known as Hellenization. !The promotion of Hellenization dramatically impacted the world. It
resulted ultimately in a common language, Koine Greek, that eventually
facilitated the quick and extensive spread of the gospel to many places
in the world. The New Testament books were written in Koine Greek,
making their message readily accessible to all who shared this language. !When Alexander died, his kingdom was divided between four generals
(the “four kingdoms” in Daniel’s prophecy). Two of these generals and
their successors are important to our study: Ptolemy took control of
Egypt and Israel while Seleucus gained control of Syria. Under these
rulers the Ptolemies and Seleucids were at odds with one another and
struggled for dominance.
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3. The Egyptians
!As the first group to control Israel after Alexander’s death, the Ptolemies
were sensitive to the Jews’ religious needs and desires. During this time
a significant Jewish population settled in the city of Alexandria in Egypt
and prospered there. The Ptolemies also established a great library in
Alexandria that helped fuel a quest for learning and an increasing
appetite for books and knowledge. !In the area of Alexandria another significant event occurred around 250
B.C. that prepared the world for the coming of Christ. The NIV Study
Bible tells us:
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Jewish legend says that 72 scholars … were brought together … near
Alexandria, where they produced a Greek translation of the Old
Testament in 72 days. From this tradition the Latin word for 70,
“Septuagint,” became the name attached to the translation. … It
made the Scripture available both to the Jews who no longer spoke
their ancestral language and to the entire Greek-speaking world. It
later became the Bible of the early church.
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4. The Syrians
!Over time the Seleucids (Syrians) conquered the Ptolemies (Egyptians)
and Israel came under their control. In the early days of their rule, the
Jews were treated much as they had been while under the Egyptians.
!Eventually a Seleucid ruler named Antiochus Epiphanes came to power
in 175 B.C. and began a reign of terror against the Jews. He instituted a
very aggressive policy promoting rigid Hellenization, including the
eradication of the worship and faith of the Jews, an attempt to destroy all
copies of the Law, the erection of a statue of Zeus in the temple and the
sacrifice of a pig on the temple altar.
!As part of his prophetic insight, Daniel foresaw the coming of this terrible
king—and the end that God had in store for him.
Pastor Steve Homcy // From Malachi to Matthew // Page !3
NOTES:
Daniel 8:23-25 (NIV) In the latter part of their reign, when rebels have
become completely wicked, a fierce-looking king, a master of intrigue,
will arise. 24 He will become very strong, but not by his own power. He
will cause astounding devastation and will succeed in whatever he
does. He will destroy those who are mighty, the holy people. 25 He will
cause deceit to prosper, and he will consider himself superior. When
they feel secure, he will destroy many and take his stand against the
Prince of princes. Yet he will be destroyed, but not by human power.
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5. The Maccabees
!Perhaps the most noble and heroic era of the Intertestamental Period is
the time of the Maccabean Revolt (167-160 B.C.). At the heart of this
story is the outrage of an elderly Jewish man named Mattathias who
initiated this revolt against the evil influence and agenda of Antiochus
Epiphanes.
!After Mattathias’ death his son Judas took leadership of the revolt. He
became known as Judas Maccabeus (the Hebrew word for “hammer”). !Exactly three years after Antiochus had desecrated the temple, the Jews
regained, purified and rededicated it under Maccabean leadership. The
story of how the Maccabees courageously and miraculously defeated the
Seleucids, and how the festival of Hanukkah was instituted to
commemorate this event, are recorded in 1 Maccabees, an account of
Jewish history included among the books of the Apocrypha.
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6. The Romans
!After Judas’ death, the remaining sons of Mattathias took leadership and
a line of Maccabean (or “Hasmonean”) leaders was established.
Eventually a power struggle arose between two Hasmonean leaders, and
both of these leaders appealed to the Roman General Pompey for
assistance. This opened the door for Rome to invade Israel.
!After a three month siege of Jerusalem, Pompey conquered the city in 63
B.C. He disregarded the faith and worship of the Jews by killing priests
while they were involved in their service. He himself walked into the Holy
of Holies, disrespecting and defiling it. !Judea then became a province of the Roman Empire. Antipater the
Idumean was designated procurator of Judea by Julius Caesar. Antipater
appointed Herod, his son, as governor of Galilee.
!After the murder of Julius Caesar, Herod manipulated his way to become
the King of the Jews. He attempted to win the favor of the Jews by
several acts, particularly refurbishing and renovating the temple in
Jerusalem. This is the impressive temple building Jesus and His disciples
spoke about in the Gospels (e.g., see Mark 13:1-2).
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Pastor Steve Homcy // From Malachi to Matthew // Page !4
NOTES:
During this time, Augustus became the Roman Emperor and reigned
from 27 B.C. to A.D. 14. He was a gifted man and his leadership resulted
in a period of peace and prosperity known as the Pax Romana (“Roman
peace”) that endured for twenty-five years.
!It was this Augustus that ordered a census of the Roman world for tax
purposes, requiring Joseph and Mary to travel to Bethlehem while Mary
was miraculously carrying the Christ-child. And the Pax Romana gave
the early church a marvelous opportunity to spread the gospel message
far and wide along the roads and other venues of the Roman Empire. !We can see how God was clearly at work in world history leading to the
birth of His Son in Bethlehem, as predicted by the Old Testament
prophets. His purposes ultimately prevailed through the coming of Jesus
the Messiah and the proclamation of the Good News about Him.
!Lawrence Richards summarizes the amazing way all this is woven
together in the big picture of God’s plan:
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Augustus in Rome would never dream that God had guided him to
power to bring world peace. Alexander never imagined that God was
using him to establish a common language as a medium through
which a new revelation of God’s grace could be communicated to all
men. Even Antiochus in his maddest dreams could never know that,
in the rise and fall of the Maccabeans, whose revolt he caused, Israel
would be led to realize anew that only in the prophet’s promised King
could she have hope.
!The Intertestamental Period points to the reality that, even when times
seem dark and God does not appear to be at work, He is always working
to accomplish His redemptive purposes and will in the world.
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Pastor Steve Homcy // From Malachi to Matthew // Page !5
NOTES:
Small Group Discussion Guide
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Getting Started
!How does understanding history help us understand more about God’s
purposes in the world?
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Talking It Over
!What roles did Zerubbabel, Ezra and Nehemiah fulfill when Persia ruled
over Israel? How did God use each of these men to accomplish His
purposes?
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!How did the increasing use of a common Greek language contribute to
the advance of God’s kingdom throughout the world?
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!What was the Maccabean Revolt and how did it encourage and inspire
the Jewish people in a time of great darkness?
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!How did the influence of the Roman Emperor Augustus pave the way for
the coming of Christ and the mission of the early church? !!
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Putting the Word to Work
!We all go through times in our lives when we are not sure if or how God
is working. We wonder when He might break the silence and speak to us
again or bring us out of a dark season.
!What lessons of encouragement and hope for your life do you take away
from our study of God’s work on behalf of His people during the “the
silent years” between Malachi and Matthew? !!
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Memorizing the Word
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Galatians 4:4 (Msg) But when the time arrived that was set by God the
Father, God sent his Son, born among us of a woman.
Pastor Steve Homcy // From Malachi to Matthew // Page !6
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