Stories of the Saints :: Digging Deeper Between the Testaments Introduction In some ways, this week is different from

most every other week in our series. Today we focus not on a person, but on a time. We focus not on a single incident that helps us unpack a larger theme, but on a large, epic story. And in large part, we focus on what God was doing outside of His people during that time, as well as what He was doing among them. Yet it is all part of the story of the saints of God; about His people whom He has chosen, protected, warned, exiled, redeemed, and with whom He has been since the beginning of the world. But this part of the story has a different feel and tone. After the words of the prophet Malachi (which make up the last book of the Old Testament), there is a period of about 400 years where God does not speak to His people through a prophet. Malachi foretells the coming of the Messiahwhich means Anointed One(Malachi 3:1, 4:2) and a messenger who will prepare the way before him (Malachi 3:1, 4:5). And then...nothing. For over 400 years. A Word about the Testaments Before digging a little deeper, a word about the word Testament may be helpful. We know the Bible is divided into two general parts. We know them as the Old Testament and New Testament. What is the dividing line? Jesus. More specifically, the birth of Jesus as a man into human history.1

Perhaps the best way to think about the testaments is that the Old Testament is the record of events leading up to the birth of Jesus (and that which spoke of the coming Messiah), and the New Testament is the record of events that start when Jesus is born (and that which speak of the Messiah who came). So OT = looking forward to Jesus incarnation2; NT = looking back to Jesus incarnation and earthly ministry.3 400 Years of Silence In this approx. 400 year period, then, what is happening? As it turns out, a whole lot. It is just that Scripture itself does not record anything during this time. We learn about this time in history from other sources, including the Jewish historian Josephus4, Greek and Roman sources, from prophecies from earlier in the Old Testament5, and from the books known as the Apocrypha6.
beginning of the New Testament. But Jesus is born as a baby, and His birth is that which marks the dividing line between Old and New. Incarnation means into flesh. It refers to the mysterious union of God and Man in Jesus. We will explore this more over the next few weeks. It is worth noting that this is an explicitly Christian view of Scripture. Jewish people would not call the Old Testament old since, for them, there is not yet a new testament. They believe the Messiah is still yet to come. Josephus is a key source for Jewish history during this time, as well as during the time of Jesus. In fact, he is a key non-Christian witness to the historical validity of Jesus. The book of Daniel contains much future-looking prophecy about the coming empires: Babylonian, Persian, Greek, and Roman, which is exactly what we find in this historical time period. Apochrypha means hidden, and has come to describe the collection of writings between the Old and New Testaments. These writings were never unanimously accepted as true Scripture by the early church, though
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We know that Jesus, as the Second Person of the Trinity, has always existed and always will. It is not as though Jesus comes into being at the

So it is not that God is not working in and through His people. It is not that He is not working in the world around them. It is that He does not send new prophets and new authoritative words to His people during this time. In fact, as we look at the story of this time, we will see that God is moving very powerfully during this time, though in ways that we may not expect. A (Very) Brief History of (This) Time Persian Empire: ~450-330 B.C. The Persians ruled for about 200 years after Nehemiah, but gave the Jews religious freedom. Greek Empire (the Hellenistic period): ~330-166 B.C. Alexander the Great conquered the Persians and worked to unify the whole world with Greek culture. Religious freedom for the Jews continued until Antioches (IV) became ruler in 175 B.C. and began to oppress the Jews. Hasmonean Period: 166-63 B.C. Judas Maccabeus led the Jewish revolt against Antioches. In 142 the Maccabees began to rule Judah until the Romans captured Jerusalem in 63. Roman Empire: begins in 63 B.C. Pompey took Jerusalem. Romans ruled the known world, and set up governors and rulers in the different regions. They allowed Jewish religion but also demanded loyalty to the Roman Emperors, the Caesars. This is basically the political situation throughout Jesus earthly life (and contributes significantly to His death). The Jewish People Because their religious life was no longer centered in Jerusalem (at the Temple) during the exile, the Jewish people
they are useful documents to learn from. Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches do accept them as Scripture.

were starting to focus more on personal religious life and the synagogues came into being. After the rebuilding of the temple, some focused back there and some didnt. Four general groups of Jews emerged during this time: Sadducees: These became the temple party, ruling in the temple and aligning with the political rulers, whomever they happened to be. They accepted only the Torah (the first five books of the Bible) as Scripture and accepted no doctrine that was not contained in it (including belief in resurrection). Pharisees: The synagogue party. These were the religious professionals outside the temple, and the ones who were most concerned with following the (letter of the) Law of God. Zealots: these were people who, like the Maccabees, believed that they would usher in the age of the Messiah by political revolution and revolt. They sought to overthrow the political rulers of the day. Essenes (the Qumran Community): a group that withdrew to the desert and became hyper-attentive to the Law and waiting for the Messiah. It was in their community that the Dead Sea Scrolls were found in 1947. Some believe that John the Baptist was an Essene. What Does all of this Mean? This all helps us better to understand the earthly life and ministry of Jesus.7 It helps us understand why He did some of the things He did, and ultimately what led to His crucifixion.8
A great example is the Pax Romanathe Roman Peace that emerged during their rule. Because of this peace, new technologies emerged that allowed the spread of the Gospel faster than ever before. One way this happened was that the letters of Paul were carried to various places on their new highway system built during that time. Not that we want to get ahead of ourselves, but a big factor was that Jesus didnt fit the mold of what the Jews were looking for in the Messiah.
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And knowing the history and culture of a time period helps the Gospel to spread in that time.9 But in another way, this time for the Jews is very much like our time. We too are waiting; we wait for the return of Jesus while they waited for His first coming. And we too must deal with Gods timing when it is not necessarily our timing. We too are in a time of silence, where we dont have new books being added to the Bible. Yet, like that time, God is not actually silent. He had given His Word to His people then, and we have the same Word to stand on today. A couple questions for reflection this week: How do we handle the seeming conflict between Gods timing and our own? Have you ever felt like God is not showing up as you would expect? (Read 2 Peter 3 for a great word on this.) How do we deal with the times God seems silent in our lives? (Hebrews 1:1-2:4 and 10:23-25.)
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Consider the Roman roads, then also consider the timing of the Gutenburg press and the Reformation in the 15th and 16th centuries. What about the development of the Internet in our day?