Lesson 4 - “The Time between the Old and New Testaments”

Intertestamental Period

• Let’s review a brief history of the Israelites/Jews.• Who was the last prophet of the Old Testament?

– Malachi. When?– 400BC

• What year was Christ born?– 2 B.C., actually

• What happened in between?

Intertestamental Period

• We can’t go through the detailed history, but basically, they were under the rule of several different nations.– Persians, Greeks, Egyptians, Syrians, Romans– Brief period of Self-rule

• They continued to follow the law of Moses, even though ruling nations often tried to influence them.

• But they built up pride which prevented them from accepting the Messiah when He came

3 Groups, 3 Types of Pride• Group 1: The Scribes• Scribes were educated men who

were kept records and copied the scriptures and teachings of the prophets. (ex: Ezra)

• Instrumental in convince the Jews to study the scriptures and rely on the law.

• After Malachi, the Lord no longer called prophets for the people.

• The scribes filled this void, decided to become experts in scriptures and prophecy

• Often gave their own interpretations, not necessarily the Lord’s

The Scribes• As the scribes continued to rise in

power, there was a shift in the common language.– Hebrew -> Aramaic– Common people did not know

Hebrew anymore, so the scribes became more powerful

– Only ones who could read and interpret the scriptures

• This happened in the Apostasy as well– Scriptures were kept in Latin– Roman Catholic church took

advantage of this distance• The Scribes’ Pride: Intellectual

Superiority & Control– “We define the law”

Group #2: The Pharisees• While under Greek power, a Jewish

group emerged in an attempt to preserve the Israelite tradition and law

• The Pharisees followed the strict law of the Torah (first 5 books of Moses), but also added to it.

• The Oral Law– Passed down orally (we know what that

means happens)– Starts adapting to exclude, especially

those not of specific lineage.• The Pharisees’ Pride: Tradition and

Exclusion– “Only we know what it means to be a Jew”

Group #3: The Sadducees• Also during Greek rule, the

Sadducees arose from the upper class: priests, merchants, and aristocrats

• They were more inclined to accept the reigning culture (Greek, Roman, etc) in order to keep their status.

• They stopped believing in doctrines such as angels or the Resurrection

• The Sadducees’ Pride: Wealth and Status– “We rule the people”

Pride

• Here we have growing pride in all three groups– Scribes: Intellectual Superiority & Control– Pharisees: Tradition and Exclusion– Sadducees: Wealth and Status

• How did this cause them to react when the Savior came?– He fulfilled the law, completely changed it– He taught and accepted all– He taught that the poor and the meek shall inherit the earth

and be blessed.• John 1:10-11

Priming• What does it mean to “prime”

something?• How do action movies prime you?• Experiments

– Old words make you act older– Polite/Rude words make you act

the same• The Jews at the time had been

primed with pride. It clouded their mind and they rejected their promised Messiah.

Primed with the Spirit

• What happens when we are primed with pride?

• How can we prime ourselves with the Spirit?• The more time we spend with Spiritual things

and with keeping the commandments, the more we will be ready when the Savior wants to be a part of our life.

Notebook Ideas

• How can you prime yourself for Christ? How will you prepare yourself for His guidance?

• Do you find yourself sometimes in similar prideful situations (Status, Exclusion, Intellect)? How can you find humility and bring yourself back to Christ?

• How will you react to the coming of Christ?