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For Over Four Hundred Years, God had Remained Silent!

The Prophets of Israel had not heard from Yahweh for hundreds of years; the last revelation had been given to Malachi in the 5th Century BC, then silence.

There was to be a massive change that would be made, instead of giving words of advice and instruction to the Prophets, God was going to send the Word made flesh; God would send the Messiah to take on human form and bring the good news of the Kingdom to Israel!

While there may have been silence from Yahweh, a great deal was happening that would prepare the way for the First Advent. I have used the Schofield Reference Bible from my early days at Berachah Church in Houston, Texas. On page 984, there is a summary of the 400 years of silence which has always been very dear to me; I have copied it below:

1. The experience of the captivity seems to have destroyed the Jews’ tendency to idolatry. Their problem during the captivity, when they were deprived of the Temple and priest, was to maintain the exalted spiritual and moral ideals given them by the older prophets. Afterward, during the intertestamentary period, the problem continued. Despite the revival of Temple and priesthood, the struggle became one of preserving the prophetic faith of the Jews in the midst of outward persecution and sordid divisions within.
2. The external means to this end was the synagogue, an institution which formed no part of the Biblical order of national life and which did not develop as a separate entity until after the time of Malachi. Its origin is obscure, but its roots may go back to the captivity when the Jews, who were without the Temple and its rites, met on the Sabbath for prayer. Such meetings, which would give opportunity for the reading of Scripture, would require some order of procedure as well as some authority for the restraint of disorder.  Whatever be its precise beginnings, the synagogue doubtless grew out of the necessities of the situation in which the Jews were placed during the closing centuries of the pre-Christian era. It served the vital purpose of maintaining familiarity with the inspired writings. Upon these the spiritual life of the true Israel (Rom. 9,6 note) was nourished.
3. Also during this period there was created that mass of tradition, comment, and interpretation, known as Mishna, Gemara (forming the Talmud), Midrasim, and Kabbala, that was so superimposed upon the law that obedience was transferred from the law itself to the traditional interpretations.
4. During this same period there arose the two great sects known in the Gospel narratives as Pharisees and Sadducees. (See Mt. 3,7 with notes.) The Herodians were a political party rather than a sect.

Among these people, the Jews, governed under Rome by an Idumean usurper, torn by bitter religious controversies, and maintaining an elaborate religious ritual, appeared Jesus, the Son of God, the Christ, and the Savior of the world.”

The world stage was being set by God for the massive change that was coming to mankind; the Pax Romana provided some stability while the Koine Greek provided a way to communicate.

God Breaks His Silence

The four Gospels tell the story of God’s visitation to his creation; the 400 years of silence were broken when the angel Gabriel spoke to Zachariah in the Temple:

 ⁸ One day Zechariah was serving as a priest before God because his priestly division was on duty. ⁹ Following the customs of priestly service, he was chosen by lottery to go into the Lord’s sanctuary and burn incense. ¹⁰ All the people who gathered to worship were praying outside during this hour of incense offering. ¹¹ An angel from the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the altar of incense. ¹² When Zechariah saw the angel, he was startled and overcome with fear.

¹³ The angel said, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah. Your prayers have been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will give birth to your son and you must name him John. Luke 1:8-13

Six months later, the angel Gabriel appears to Mary:

“²⁶ When Elizabeth was six months pregnant, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a city in Galilee, ²⁷ to a virgin who was engaged to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David’s house. The virgin’s name was Mary. ²⁸ When the angel came to her, he said, “Rejoice, favored one! The Lord is with you!” ²⁹ She was confused by these words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. ³⁰ The angel said, “Don’t be afraid, Mary. God is honoring you. ³¹ Look! You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. ³² He will be great and he will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of David his father. ³³ He will rule over Jacob’s house forever, and there will be no end to his kingdom.”

³⁴ Then Mary said to the angel, “How will this happen since I haven’t had sexual relations with a man?”

³⁵ The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come over you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore, the one who is to be born will be holy. He will be called God’s Son. ³⁶ Look, even in her old age, your relative Elizabeth has conceived a son. This woman who was labeled ‘unable to conceive’ is now six months pregnant. ³⁷ Nothing is impossible for God.”

³⁸ Then Mary said, “I am the Lord’s servant. Let it be with me just as you have said.” Then the angel left her.” Luke 1:26-38

Although this happened over 2,000 years ago, the impact of this change still reverberates around the world today! The First Advent concluded with the Holy Spirit coming, to replace the ministry of the Son, with a ministry that is still in full effect even now!

Individual Christians have become a Temple of God, the Holy Spirit! Now, instead of a structure, the Holy Spirit indwells born-again believers! Every believer is a Temple of the Holy Spirit in this Dispensation of Grace, the Church Age!

Observing the Incarnation of God, the Son, at the First Advent!

The time for joyful recognition of the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ will soon be here; this year, we observe the birth of the Lord on Wednesday, December 25, 2024. While no one knows the actual date of our Lord’s birth, the 25th of December is the day we observe and celebrate the event!

The fact the exact date is unknown is relatively inconsequential in comparison to the overpowering reality it happened at all! To think, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, our Eternal Creator God, was willing to join his creation by being born of a virgin woman and taking on the mortal form of his creation is impossible to even imagine!

The Impact of Christmas!

The Lord Jesus Christ was born in a manger, that he might die on a cross for the sins of the world. His death opened the door to reconciliation with God by faith in Jesus Christ as Savior!

This opportunity has divided the world into two groups; those who have received Jesus Christ as Savior and been born again by the power of God, the Holy Spirit, and those who have rejected God’s offer of redemption and reconciliation through faith in Jesus Christ as Savior!

As a direct result of this choice, the world is divided into two groups; those spiritually alive and those spiritually dead. While the entire human race, born of a human father, is born spiritually dead; God has prepared a doorway to spiritual life by receiving Jesus Christ as Savior.

Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved!