Bible Reading With No Bible.

What do you do when you read October 15th in your daily, chronological Bible [1] reading and there's no Bible?

Well that was the reality that God's people faced in those years we call 'Intertestamental'. "Turning the page from the Book of Malachi to the first chapter of the New Testament is a leap of more than four hundred years." [2] This is also called by some, "the silent years".  There was no voice of God heard through the land.  The political changes were significant, but no surprise.  Daniel predicted what would take place.

"The Jews, however, were despondent. Once again, they were conquered, oppressed, and polluted. Hope was running low; faith was even lower. They were convinced that now the only thing that could save them and their faith was the appearance of the Messiah." [3]  Some significant events took place in this time frame [4]:

• "In the Persian era, the Jewish people returned to their land.
• Construction on the second temple was completed in this period.
• In the Ptolemy era, the Old Testament was translated into Greek (the Septuagint).
• During this period, the position of high priest was bestowed (by a foreign government) to the highest bidder (2 Macc 4:7–13).
• The Seleucid era saw the revolt of the Maccabees. Most significantly, the high priesthood became a political (within the nation of Israel) appointment (1 Macc 14:25–49).
• In the Hasmonean era, serious conflict between the Pharisees and the Sadducees developed. The Hasmonean rulers used these conflicts for political intrigue.
• Synagogue worship in this period grew in importance, coupled with a lack of integrity in the office of high priest.
• The conflict that raged throughout this period influenced a military concept of the Messiah.
• In the Roman era, Rome appointed Jewish leadership. This was not new, but the extent was pervasive. Roman rule ended with the war that culminated in the destruction of the temple."

Daniel had already given us a clue from his prophecy (the 70 X 7's) that the Christ would not be coming for at least another 400 years -- the same amount of time between the Testaments!

“Know therefore and understand that from the going out of the word to restore and build Jerusalem to the coming of an anointed one, a prince, there shall be seven weeks. Then for sixty-two weeks it shall be built again with squares and moat, but in a troubled time. And after the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one shall be cut off and shall have nothing. And the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. Its end shall come with a flood, and to the end there shall be war. Desolations are decreed.” (Daniel 9:25–26, ESV)







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1. Smith, F. LaGard (2013-12-30). The Daily Bible® -- in Chronological Order (NIV®). Harvest House Publishers. Kindle Edition.
2. Whitlock, L. G., Sproul, R. C., Waltke, B. K., & Silva, M. (1995). The Reformation study Bible: bringing the light of the Reformation to Scripture: New King James Version (Mal 4:6). Nashville: T. Nelson.
3. http://www.gotquestions.org/intertestamental-period.html
4.  McCune, L. A. (2012, 2013, 2014). Intertestamental Period. In J. D. Barry, L. Wentz, D. Mangum, C. Sinclair-Wolcott, R. Klippenstein, D. Bomar, … D. R. Brown (Eds.), The Lexham Bible Dictionary. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.