THE 400 YEARS BETWEEN THE OLD AND NEW TESTAMENTS

The Ray C. Stedman Library ^ | October 2, 1966 | Ray C. Stedman

[P-Marlowe]

Bible Study Number 40 out of 67

For edification and discussion.

[righttackle44]

Thank you for posting this. The inter-biblical
period has always fascinated me.

[ConservativeMind]

Thanks!

[P-Marlowe]

Bible Study # 40 of 67

Audio Link

Prior Studies:

1) Genesis Study	14) II Chronicles Study	27 Daniel Study
2) Exodus Study	15) Ezra Study	28 Hosea Study
3 Leviticus Study.	16) Nehemiah Study	29) Joel Study
4) Numbers Study	17) Esther Study	30) Amos Study
5) Deuteronomy Study	18) Job Study	31) Obadiah Study
6) Joshua Study	19 ) Psalms Study	32) Jonah Study
7) Judges Study	20 Proverbs Study	33) Micah Study
8) Ruth Study	21) Ecclesiastes Study	34) Nahum Study
9) I Samuel Study	22) Song of Solomon Study	35 ) Habukkuk Study
10) II Samuel Study	23) Isaiah Study	36) Zephaniah Study
11) I Kings Study	24) Jeremiah Study	37) Haggai Study
12) II Kings Study	25 Lamentations Study	38) Zechariah Study
13) I Chronicles Study	26 Ezekiel Study	39) Malachi Study

Please let me know if you would like to be on or off this ping list.

Just 27 more Weeks to go and we will have gone through the whole Bible!

[P-Marlowe]

What are you guys doing up this late?

I've added you guys to the ping list. We start the New Testament next week.

God Bless.

Marlowe

[righttackle44]

"I've added you guys to the ping list. We start the New Testament next week."

Thank you. As for why I'm still up, I'm babysitting
tonight.

Looking forward to the studies.

Jim

[HarleyD]

Rather interesting history. His historical narration seems to indicate that most (if not all) of Daniel has been fulfilled. (e.g. Alexander the Great interpreting himself in Daniel) I thought most premil-, pretrib people believe that Daniel has not been fulfilled and refers to "the end times".

It will be interesting to see if he refers to Daniel in Revelation. Meanwhile could someone enlighten me. This has never been my strong suit.

[P-Marlowe]

Sixty nine of the seventy weeks were fulfilled by the time of Christ's death. "Messiah will be cut off". The remaining week has not yet begun. Daniel's prophecy was a prophecy concerning the NATION of Israel. After the Messiah was cut off, the Lord suspeneded his covenant with the Nation of Israel and the Church age began. The remaining seven years will begin when the Age of the Gentiles is fulfilled.

That is basically Stedman's take on Daniel. It is my take as well.

[jocon307]

ping for later, too early now.

[walden]

Very interesting piece, thank you! Please add me to your ping list.

[Uri’el-2012]

Thank you.

The right information at the right time.

Praise G-d!

[Alamo-Girl]

Thank you so much for this next installment!

[navygal]

Thanks for this post!

[nuclady]

Thank you so much!

[blue-duncan]

This 400 years when there was no speaking or writing prophet, God was using as an incubator for his plan of salvation. With the Babylonian exile the Jews were dispersed to various conquered countries but allowed to practice their religion. Out of necessity the synagogue arose providing a place top learn and maintain their religion in a hostile world. They learned about eschatology and apocalyptic concepts from the Persians so that when Daniel and Ezekiel and later prophets are writing their prophecies, they had the concepts that originally were foreign to Jewish thinking.

With the Greeks, the language became in a short time under the conquests of Alexander, the language of commerce, society and culture throughout the middle east and parts of Europe. Greek philosophical concepts became the religion of the educated classes throughout the Greek conquered world and moved thinking including Jewish thinking from the concrete to include abstractions. the Old Testament was translated into the Greek language and made available in a language familiar throughout the Greek world.

The Romans with their vast armies and the need for safe supply lines created protected roads and cities throughout the conquered middle east and Europe paving the way for safe travel. Roman law civilized most of the disparate tribal cultures and provided a semblance of peace and justice and common coinage and commercial law for the Roman protectorates. Rome also saw the need for a friendly buffer between it and the hostile Egypt and gave Israel some freedom of self government.

Out of this incubator came four Jewish religious parties; the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the Essenes and the Zealots. The Pharisees were located in southern Israel around Jerusalem and their center was the Temple and the School of Hillel, which would be considered much like our evangelical seminaries in that the teaching was broader and more liberal (not in the religious sense). The Zealots were located in the north, Galilee, and their center for religious studies was the synagogue and the School of Shammai, what would be comparable to our fundamentalist Bible colleges. They were very conservative in their religion and politics, looking for a political messiah who would rid Israel of the infidels and re institute the "golden age". What is interesting is that Jesus was from this region and culture, grew up under this influence and drew most of the Disciples (many of whom were his relatives)from around Galilee. The Essene's were fundamentalist separatists who withdrew from the culture. However in doing so they preserved portions of the Old Testament that were found in the 40's and authenticated the Word when it had been under attack for a long period by "higher criticism". The Sadducees were typical wealthy highly educated people who had no convictions except those of whoever was ruling or could protect their positions and interests.

Out of this period, as Daniel says "In the fullness of time" the world was prepared by God for His Son and the way prepared in governments, language, concepts, commerce, travel, people and institutions for the spread of the Gospel in rapid fashion. The Disciples, including Paul, were fanatics, chosen from the Zealot class, or religious fanatics like Paul, or used to being persistent and despised like Matthew. There were no softies in the first army.

But I suspect if we were living during this period we would be wringing our hands, wondering why God had forsaken us, while all the while He was, as Stedmen said, changing the scene and preparing the world for the greatest display of mercy, grace and love in Jesus Christ and it was all foretold a hundred years before..

[P-Marlowe]

Excellent synopsis!

[onedoug]

Hyam Maccoby, Revolution In Judaea

[ntnychik]

Thank you for the ping. A very interesting lesson.

[blue-duncan]

Who is he and where do you get the book? I've used Otto, "The Kingdom of God and the Son of Man", Edersheim, "Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah", Bright, "History of Israel", Wood, "Survey of the History of Israel" and "Between the Testaments", to teach this period over the years but have never been able to find a history of the period by a Jewish scholar.

[P-Marlowe]

Who is he and where do you get the book?

2 Jesus and his immediate followers were Pharisees. Jesus had no intention of founding a new religion. He regarded himself as the Messiah in the normal Jewish sense of the term, i.e. a human leader who would restore the Jewish monarchy, drive out the Roman invaders, set up an independent Jewish state, and inaugurate an era of peace, justice and prosperity (known as 'the kingdom of God,) for the whole world. Jesus believed himself to be the figure prophesied in the Hebrew Bible who would do all these things. He was not a militarist and did not build up an army to fight the Romans, since he believed that God would perform a great miracle to break the power of Rome. This miracle would take place on the Mount of Olives, as prophesied in the book of Zechariah. When this miracle did not occur, his mission had failed. He had no intention of being crucified in order to save mankind from eternal damnation by his sacrifice. He never regarded himself as a divine being, and would have regarded such an idea as pagan and idolatrous, an infringement of the first of the Ten Commandments.

Hyam Maccoby from: The Mythmaker: Paul and the Invention of Christianity