A Survey of the New Testament Lesson 1: An Introduction January 9, 2019 Old Testament Background: • Genesis through Deuteronomy: God formed the nation of Israel, established their national laws as a ______________________, and brought them to the Promised Land. • Joshua: The Israelites began to drive out the Canaanites so they could inhabit the Promised Land. • Judges: Israel’s theocracy failed when the Israelites repeatedly… • Forgot God’s goodness. • Worshipped the Canaanite deities. • Received God’s chastising. • ________________________ in their hardship. • Resumed their worship of God. • Forgot God’s goodness. • Etc. • Ruth: Godly Boaz and ________________ became the unlikely ancestors of King David. • 1 Samuel: The monarchy began early with King Saul. • 2 Samuel/1 Chronicles: King ____________________ replaced King Saul and established the eternal Jewish monarchy that would culminate with the Messiah. • 1 & 2 Kings/2 Chronicles: The nation of Israel split into Northern and Southern Kingdoms due to ________________________ sin. Within a few hundred years, both descended into deep depravity, and God sent them into exile. • Jonah: God’s mercy to __________________ allowed the Northern Kingdom to descend into its worst state. • Hosea: Brought God’s final message of impending judgment to the Northern Kingdom. • Habakkuk: Babylon would attack and conquer the Southern Kingdom after Josiah’s death. • Daniel: The righteous, high-ranking Jew prophesied from Babylon about the Intertestamental Period, the coming _________________________, and the End Times. • Esther: Although unmentioned by name, God preserved the Jews during the exile using a series of divinely orchestrated events. • Ezra, Nehemiah, Haggai, & Zechariah: The seventy years of captivity ended, and the Jews returned to the Promised Land to rebuild the ___________________ and Jerusalem. Although they just experienced God’s chastisement, they still had trouble obeying His instructions. • Malachi: The priests – who were supposed to be God’s messengers – failed to obey God’s prophets. Consequently, God would not send another messenger until “________________________” announced the coming of the LORD to His temple. Intertestamental Period: • Intertestamental Period – “Between Testaments” – “400 Silent Years” – The prophetic office was ________________: there was no messenger from God. • 1 Maccabees 4:45b-46. “So they tore down the altar, and stored the stones in a convenient place on the temple hill until there should come a prophet to tell what to do with them.” • 1 Maccabees 9:27. “Thus there was great distress in Israel, such as had not been since the time that prophets ceased to appear among them.” • 1 Maccabees 14:41. “And the Jews and their priests decided that Simon should be their leader and high priest for ever, until a trustworthy prophet should arise…” – Since the prophetic office was empty between Malachi and John the Baptist, the Apocryphal books (those written during this time) are not part of the Bible. • Daniel 2:21-45. The dream of the __________________ prophesied three kingdoms that would rule over Israel during the Intertestamental Period. – The Babylonian Empire – The head of gold – The Medo-Persian Empire – The breast and arms of silver – The Greek Empire – The belly and thighs of brass – The Roman Empire – The legs of iron. • Daniel 7:3-7. The prophecy of the four _____________________ also describes the three empires that ruled during the Intertestamental Period. – Babylonian Empire: Lion with eagles’ wings – Medo-Persian Empire: Bear with three ribs – Greek Empire: The leopard with four wings and four heads. – Roman Empire: The dreadful and exceeding strong beast that trampled the rest of the previous empires. • Babylonian Empire: The lion with eagle’s wings – This image was either well-known to ___________________________ or became his symbol after this dream. – It covered the Isthar Gate. – The wings were plucked and it was given a man’s heart. • Nebuchadnezzar was humble after living like a beast. • He may very well have become a true believer. • Medo-Persian Empire: The bear with three ribs – The three ribs may symbolize… • The three dominant tribes (as defined by Herodotus): the Pasagardae, the Maraphii, and the Maspii. • The three main parts of the empire: Persia, _____________________, and Babylon. – The bear symbolized the Empire. It rose up on one side showing that one side, Persia, would be stronger than the other. • Greek Empire: The leopard with four wings and four heads. – The leopard showed that the conquering would be swift. – The four heads prophesied the four-way division of Alexander’s empire after his _______________________. – Two of these divisions, the Ptolemies (south) and the Seleucids (north) exerted influence over Israel. – The northern king, Antiochus Epiphanes, persecuted the Jews and defiled their temple by offering _________________ on the altar. – The Jews, led by the Maccabees, successfully revolted and established the Hasmonean dynasty in Jerusalem. – They also took over the role of high priest although they were not descended from ____________________ (Ezek. 48:11). • Roman Empire: The dreadful and exceeding strong beast that trampled the rest of the previous empires. – The Roman Empire assumed authority over Israel after defeating the Grecian Empire. – They established _______________________________ as the authority in Jerusalem after a power struggle between rival high priests led to unrest. – This Herod was King when Christ was born. • Important developments – The _______________________ (LXX): The nearly universal influences of Greek culture in the known world led to the translation of the Hebrew Scriptures in Greek. – The Pharisees: A group of leaders that opposed Greek influence in Jewish society. It probably formed at the same time as the Hasmonean Dynasty and became a unique entity when the Maccabees turned to Hellenism. – The Sadducees: Hellenized descendants of Zadok who eventually resumed the high priestly role. They ______________________ all books of the Old Testament except the Pentateuch. – Scribes & Rabbis: People who taught the Old Testament Scriptures to prevent another exile from a lack of knowledge (Hos. 4:6). – Gabriel’s messages: The Intertestamental period began to end when the angel Gabriel came to Zechariah, Mary, and Joseph. Application: We can be confident throughout life because we know that God is sovereign. .