How do you explain the statement that there was 400 years of silence between the prophet Malachi and the coming of Christ? ~ Don Puryear
After the Israelites returned from Babylonian captivity, had rebuilt Jerusalem and the Temple, their zeal toward God waned. The observance of Judaism became to them a burdensome chore. Though they went through the outward exercise of their religion marginally, their lackluster mindset for worshipping God was evident by the substandard animal sacrifices they offered. Instead of offering God unblemished animals as the Law required, Jews of Malachi’s day offered animals that were unsatisfactory for farming and otherwise equivalent to refuse. This mentality and activity is a primary object of the Book of Malachi. The Jews of Malachi’s day were essentially paying fire insurance, hedging against eternal hellfire, but unwilling to invest more in their religion than the minimum with which they thought they might squeak by with God. (That sounds remarkably like modern man and, unfortunately like many members of the Lord’s church.) It was under these circumstances that God ceased sending revelation from heaven to mankind, until immediately before the Incarnation of Christ. Malachi was written about 400 years before the events chronicled in the Gospel records.
With Malachi who lived to the time of Nehemiah, the Old Testament prophecy ceased, and Israel was left to himself four hundred years, to digest during this period of expectation the rich substance of that revelation, and to prepare the birth-place for the approaching redemption. (Schaff)
The time period between the writing of the last book of the Old Testament (Mal.) and the beginning of revelatory activity by God through the ministries of John the Baptist and our Lord Jesus Christ, approx. 400 to 4 B.C. (Karleen)
After Malachi came 400 long years of silence. But when the time was right, heaven would burst forth in song at the arrival of the Messiah. (Nelson’s)
Works Cited
Karleen, Paul S. “Intertestamental Period.” The Handbook to Bible Study. CD-ROM. New York: Oxford University Press, 1987.
Nelson’s Illustrated Bible Dictionary. CD-ROM. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1986.
Schaff, Philip. History of the Christian Church. CD-ROM. Oak Harbor, WA: Logos, 1997.
