The approximately 400 years between the prophet Malachi—who wrote the final book of the Old Testament—and the era of the New Testament are known as the Intertestamental Period. As no canonical scriptures were written during this time, many Christians are unaware of it or assume it holds little significance, thinking that God was silent. But is that truly the case? Was this period of apparent silence really meaningless or abandoned by God?
If we look back at scripture, we see a similar pattern: after Jacob’s family settled in Egypt, around 400 years passed before the Exodus. Although the Bible records no direct words from God during that time, it was then that Jacob’s descendants grew into the nation of Israel—the very nation from which Jesus would later come. Even though little is written about that era, it was a crucial period of preparation. God was shaping a people who would preserve His word, fulfil His plan of salvation through Jesus, and become the first to spread the gospel to the world.
Likewise, during the 400 years after Malachi, God may have seemed silent, but He was still at work. During this time, the hearts of Gentiles who would one day accept Christ were being prepared. If the first 400 years were a time of preparation for Israel, then the next 400 years could be seen as preparation for the coming of Christianity. Let us look at the historical events of this period to see how God was working for our salvation.
During this era, Alexander the Great unified the Greek world, overthrew Persia, and ruled a vast territory stretching from Greece and Egypt to the Indus River. However, he died at just 32, and his successors, known as the Diadochi, divided the empire. After several battles and years of conflict, the empire was initially divided into four kingdoms, before finally being established as three main kingdoms: the Antigonid dynasty in Macedonia, the Seleucid dynasty in Asia, and the Ptolemaic dynasty in Egypt. Although they ruled different regions, their ruling class was Greek, so this era is referred to as the Hellenistic period. This process was prophesied in Daniel chapter 8. Of these kingdoms, Israel was first ruled by the Ptolemies and later by the Seleucids—the “kings of the South and North” mentioned in Daniel chapter 11.
Ptolemy I, founder of the Ptolemaic dynasty, took many Jews captive. However, his son, Ptolemy II, freed them, and Alexandria soon became a major centre for Diaspora Jews, making up a third of its population by the time of Jesus’ birth.
Ptolemy II also desired a Greek translation of the Hebrew Law for the Library of Alexandria. He invited 72 scholars—six from each tribe of Israel—to translate the Hebrew Scriptures into Greek. This translation, called the Septuagint, began with the Pentateuch and, over about a century, came to include the entire Old Testament.
Because Greek was the common language of the Hellenistic world, the Septuagint spread widely among both Jews and Gentiles. Many Gentiles came to know God through this translation; some even converted to Judaism, while others became “God-fearers”, a term often mentioned in the New Testament. Among them were those who later came to faith in Christ through the apostles’ preaching. For example, in Acts 8, the Ethiopian eunuch was reading Isaiah from the Septuagint when God sent Philip to share the gospel, leading him to salvation in Jesus.
So, whilst the Intertestamental Period may have seemed like a time of divine silence, it was actually a time of preparation for the gospel. For the Jews, it was a time of hardship; for the Gentiles, it was a season when hearts were being made ready to receive salvation. God was not absent—He was steadily working towards humanity’s redemption.
In the same way, even when God seems silent or distant in our own lives, He is never idle. He is always working behind the scenes for our good and the good of others. If we can hold on to even a small part of His heart and love during such times, we can persevere in faith and look forward to His promises with hope.
I have written this message to share God’s heart and love with you.
