Around four hundred years pasted between the Old and New Testaments. Four hundred years of history and four hundred years of Jewish history. We are finding out more and more of the general history but not much on the religious side.
There were significant events and changes that impacted the world and salvation significantly. But we do not know the details of the events just what changed. People do not like unanswered questions regarding the Bible and so speculations ensues. And speculation is OK but it should remain in the column of speculation.
The fall of the angels and Satan becoming a devil and the enemy of God and humanity probably happened during this period. But we do not know the details leading up to the fall or the details of the fall. All we know is that Satan is a serious threat in the New Testament and drives a lot of what happens.
In the Old Testament Yahweh commands the killing of Pagans…..kill all that breaths including the male children. Tens of thousands of Pagan women that were not virgins were killed. Virgin Pagan women were taken for concubines. (Wombs were considered neutral as long as not penetrated by Pagan men and only one Hebrew man.)
The point? Yahweh commanded the Isrealites/Jews to rage war against the Pagans and the Mosaic Law forbid any type of peace or trade treaties. But Yahweh feelings/attitude changes in the New Testament. Yahweh so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, Yeshua. Do we know why Yahweh changed his mine? No we do not.
So in the New Testament instead of raging war on the Pagans, Yahweh wants to “save” all of humanity. What does saved mean? It means reconciling humanity with Yahweh. It means offering humanity an eternal reward of Heaven. And implementing a new set of morals.
But a human Messiah could not do this. In the Old Testament the Messiah was prophesized to be a human warlord king that would take down the Jewish oppressors during the terrible day of the Lord and put the Jews in power and make the Mosaic Law the standard for the whole world. And sacrifices would continue forever.
Put the plan changed…..to achieve what needed to be done the Messiah had to be a God. The Messiah would not wage a war against the Pagans the Messiah would commission the Apostle Paul for a ministry to save the Pagans….called Gentiles in the Bible. The Messiah would not setup a kingdom instead He would be sacrificed on the cross….a perfect sacrifice that would “rip the veil in two in the Temple that separated Yahweh from humanity. And His resurrection and ascension to His Father in Heaven where He opened the gates to Heaven for humanity. In the New Testament there would be no need of a Temple.
When was Hell created? Well the word Hell does not appear in the Old Testament nor does Yahweh threaten those in the Old Testament with a eternal fiery punishment. But Yeshua warns of the fiery eternal punishment in the New Testament….so probably Hell was created in between the testaments. Possibly in conjunction with the fall of the angels. Speculation ….Sheol has levels and Hell is at the bottom of Sheol. (The word Hell cannot appear in the scriptures the word first appears in the 8th century AD in the Anglo Saxon and old English. And the word Hades does not appear in the scriptures either. Hades was a Greek god that presided over an underworld of the same name….no fire. Because there was no word for a fiery place of eternal punishment..... in the scriptures Yeshua and the Apostles used descriptions and examples. So a fiery place of eternal punishment does exist.)
These changes caused some issues….the changes were too much for most of the Jews to handle. They had a lust for power and were looking for a human Messiah that would defeat their oppressors and put them in power. But in stead of a human warlord they got the Lord. A Messiah of peace and love and forgiveness. They saw His miracles as magic and in the Talmud accused him of being a magician. The changes were too much for the most of the Jews to accept so they rejected him. Crucify Him!!! Crucify Him!!! Let his blood be on us and our children!!! And history proved it served as a curse on them.
Big changes that occurred between the Old and New Testament that even modern Christians have a hard time comprehending.
The Persian Era (397-336 BC)
The Persians were the dominating power in the Middle East as far back as 536 BC. God used the Persians to deliver Israel from Babylonian captivity (Dan 5:30-31). Persia’s attitude was tolerant toward the Jewish remnant in Palestine, until internal rivalry over the politically powerful office of high priest resulted in partial destruction of Jerusalem by the Persian governor.
The Babylonian captivity was used by God to purge idolatry from His people, who returned to Jerusalem with a new reverence for the Scriptures and a firm grasp on the theological concept of monotheism. These two influences carried over through the Inter-testament Period. The rise of the synagogue as the local center of worship happened in the Persian Era. Scribes became very important for the interpretation of Scriptures in the synagogue services. Towards the end of this era, a temple rose up in Samaria, establishing a form of worship that rivaled Judaism. That event encouraged the ultimate social and religious separation between Jew and Samaritan.
The Greek Era (336-323 BC)
Alexander the Great, in many respects the greatest conqueror of all time, was the central figure of this brief period. He conquered Persia in 334 BC and then Babylon, Palestine, Syria, Egypt, and western India. Although he died at thirty-three, having reigned over Greece only thirteen years, his influence lived long after him.
Alexander’s desire was to found a worldwide empire united by language, custom, and civilization. Under his influence, the world began to speak and study the Greek language. This process, called Hellenization, included the adoption of Greek culture and religion in all parts of the world. Hellenism became so popular that it persisted even into New Testament times. The struggle that developed between the Jews and Hellenistic influence was long and bitter. Although faithful Jews staunchly resisted polytheism, Greek was common enough to need a Greek translation of the Old Testament.
The Egyptian Era (323-198 BC)
With the death of Alexander in 323 BC, the Greek empire became divided into four segments, which were Daniel’s “four kingdoms” that took the place of the “large horn” (Dan 8:21-22). Ptolemy Soter received Egypt and soon dominated nearby Israel. He dealt severely with the Jews at first, but toward the end of his reign and on into the rule of Ptolemy Philadephus, his successor, the Jews were treated favorably. During this time, the Septuagint (Greek Old Testament) became authorized.
The policy of toleration followed by the Ptolemies, by which Judaism and Hellenism coexisted peacefully, was very dangerous for the Jewish faith. A gradual infiltration of Greek influence and assimilation of the Greek way of life took place. Hellenism’s emphasis on beauty, shape, and movement encouraged Jews to neglect Jewish religious rites, warping worship to become more external than internal, which had a lasting impact upon Judaism. Two religious parties emerged: the Hellenizing party, which was pro-Syrian, and the orthodox Jews, in particular the Hasidim or “Pious Ones” (predecessors of the Pharisees). A struggle for power between these two groups resulted in a polarization of the Jews along political, cultural, and religious lines.
Continued….
There were significant events and changes that impacted the world and salvation significantly. But we do not know the details of the events just what changed. People do not like unanswered questions regarding the Bible and so speculations ensues. And speculation is OK but it should remain in the column of speculation.
The fall of the angels and Satan becoming a devil and the enemy of God and humanity probably happened during this period. But we do not know the details leading up to the fall or the details of the fall. All we know is that Satan is a serious threat in the New Testament and drives a lot of what happens.
In the Old Testament Yahweh commands the killing of Pagans…..kill all that breaths including the male children. Tens of thousands of Pagan women that were not virgins were killed. Virgin Pagan women were taken for concubines. (Wombs were considered neutral as long as not penetrated by Pagan men and only one Hebrew man.)
The point? Yahweh commanded the Isrealites/Jews to rage war against the Pagans and the Mosaic Law forbid any type of peace or trade treaties. But Yahweh feelings/attitude changes in the New Testament. Yahweh so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, Yeshua. Do we know why Yahweh changed his mine? No we do not.
So in the New Testament instead of raging war on the Pagans, Yahweh wants to “save” all of humanity. What does saved mean? It means reconciling humanity with Yahweh. It means offering humanity an eternal reward of Heaven. And implementing a new set of morals.
But a human Messiah could not do this. In the Old Testament the Messiah was prophesized to be a human warlord king that would take down the Jewish oppressors during the terrible day of the Lord and put the Jews in power and make the Mosaic Law the standard for the whole world. And sacrifices would continue forever.
Put the plan changed…..to achieve what needed to be done the Messiah had to be a God. The Messiah would not wage a war against the Pagans the Messiah would commission the Apostle Paul for a ministry to save the Pagans….called Gentiles in the Bible. The Messiah would not setup a kingdom instead He would be sacrificed on the cross….a perfect sacrifice that would “rip the veil in two in the Temple that separated Yahweh from humanity. And His resurrection and ascension to His Father in Heaven where He opened the gates to Heaven for humanity. In the New Testament there would be no need of a Temple.
When was Hell created? Well the word Hell does not appear in the Old Testament nor does Yahweh threaten those in the Old Testament with a eternal fiery punishment. But Yeshua warns of the fiery eternal punishment in the New Testament….so probably Hell was created in between the testaments. Possibly in conjunction with the fall of the angels. Speculation ….Sheol has levels and Hell is at the bottom of Sheol. (The word Hell cannot appear in the scriptures the word first appears in the 8th century AD in the Anglo Saxon and old English. And the word Hades does not appear in the scriptures either. Hades was a Greek god that presided over an underworld of the same name….no fire. Because there was no word for a fiery place of eternal punishment..... in the scriptures Yeshua and the Apostles used descriptions and examples. So a fiery place of eternal punishment does exist.)
These changes caused some issues….the changes were too much for most of the Jews to handle. They had a lust for power and were looking for a human Messiah that would defeat their oppressors and put them in power. But in stead of a human warlord they got the Lord. A Messiah of peace and love and forgiveness. They saw His miracles as magic and in the Talmud accused him of being a magician. The changes were too much for the most of the Jews to accept so they rejected him. Crucify Him!!! Crucify Him!!! Let his blood be on us and our children!!! And history proved it served as a curse on them.
Big changes that occurred between the Old and New Testament that even modern Christians have a hard time comprehending.
The Persian Era (397-336 BC)
The Persians were the dominating power in the Middle East as far back as 536 BC. God used the Persians to deliver Israel from Babylonian captivity (Dan 5:30-31). Persia’s attitude was tolerant toward the Jewish remnant in Palestine, until internal rivalry over the politically powerful office of high priest resulted in partial destruction of Jerusalem by the Persian governor.
The Babylonian captivity was used by God to purge idolatry from His people, who returned to Jerusalem with a new reverence for the Scriptures and a firm grasp on the theological concept of monotheism. These two influences carried over through the Inter-testament Period. The rise of the synagogue as the local center of worship happened in the Persian Era. Scribes became very important for the interpretation of Scriptures in the synagogue services. Towards the end of this era, a temple rose up in Samaria, establishing a form of worship that rivaled Judaism. That event encouraged the ultimate social and religious separation between Jew and Samaritan.
The Greek Era (336-323 BC)
Alexander the Great, in many respects the greatest conqueror of all time, was the central figure of this brief period. He conquered Persia in 334 BC and then Babylon, Palestine, Syria, Egypt, and western India. Although he died at thirty-three, having reigned over Greece only thirteen years, his influence lived long after him.
Alexander’s desire was to found a worldwide empire united by language, custom, and civilization. Under his influence, the world began to speak and study the Greek language. This process, called Hellenization, included the adoption of Greek culture and religion in all parts of the world. Hellenism became so popular that it persisted even into New Testament times. The struggle that developed between the Jews and Hellenistic influence was long and bitter. Although faithful Jews staunchly resisted polytheism, Greek was common enough to need a Greek translation of the Old Testament.
The Egyptian Era (323-198 BC)
With the death of Alexander in 323 BC, the Greek empire became divided into four segments, which were Daniel’s “four kingdoms” that took the place of the “large horn” (Dan 8:21-22). Ptolemy Soter received Egypt and soon dominated nearby Israel. He dealt severely with the Jews at first, but toward the end of his reign and on into the rule of Ptolemy Philadephus, his successor, the Jews were treated favorably. During this time, the Septuagint (Greek Old Testament) became authorized.
The policy of toleration followed by the Ptolemies, by which Judaism and Hellenism coexisted peacefully, was very dangerous for the Jewish faith. A gradual infiltration of Greek influence and assimilation of the Greek way of life took place. Hellenism’s emphasis on beauty, shape, and movement encouraged Jews to neglect Jewish religious rites, warping worship to become more external than internal, which had a lasting impact upon Judaism. Two religious parties emerged: the Hellenizing party, which was pro-Syrian, and the orthodox Jews, in particular the Hasidim or “Pious Ones” (predecessors of the Pharisees). A struggle for power between these two groups resulted in a polarization of the Jews along political, cultural, and religious lines.
Continued….
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