Reflections

History has always been one of my favorite subjects in school. Over the last couple of years, I’ve devoted time to learn about the canonization of how the sixty-six books of the Bible came to be.  The book of Maccabees provides a bridge from where the Old Testament prophets left off and before the Gospels began.  This 400-year gap of time is also known as the ‘intertestamental or silent period.’  The prophet Daniel interpreted the dream of Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 2) revealing the statue which displayed all the world kingdoms. At the head was the Babylonian Empire (made of gold), then the breast and arms of silver, representing the Mede and Persian Empires and the belly and thighs of brass, representing the Greco-Macedonian Empires, then the legs of Iron representing the great Roman Empire and then the 10 toes representing 10 monarchs that arose after the fall of the ancient Roman Empire which morphed into the ‘Holy Roman Empire’ as we know it today.  What I love about the book of Daniel is it complements the book of Revelation.  The beasts identified in Daniel are the same beasts in the book of Revelation.  Daniel prophesied looking forward in time, while John the Revelator was looking back in time on the island of Patmos. The prophecies of the book of Daniel alone, reveal the more sure Word of prophecy (2 Peter 1:19) and that God will do, what He said He will do.  It points to the validity of scripture, as we have history itself to point to the accuracy of God’s word (Hallelujah!) 

During the intertestamental period came the rise of the Hellenistic era under Alexandar the Great, which lead up to the eventual take over by the Roman Empire.  When Jesus stepped on the scene in the New Testament, the Jews were under Ancient Roman rule.  During this ‘silent era’ of 400 years so much had taken place in the Jewish nation, especially the rise of the Sanhedrin and religious leaders.  Jesus had to uproot and deal with the religious systems the Pharisees and Sadducees had created over time which abandoned what their forefathers and prophets of old taught.

The book of Maccabees chapter 1 starts off with the fall of Darius, king of the Persians and Medes empire. I love how interconnected the bible is, as this same pagan King God used to rebuild His temple in the book of Ezra. It’s a reminder that God will use good and evil to accomplish His will in the earth.  The first chapter also recorded the death of Alexander the Great, and the rise of his generals in whom he bestowed his kingdom to. Israel at this time had made covenants and alliances with the gentiles and adopted their wicked customs and practices.  They defiled the temple of God and altar of sacrifice, as they sacrificed to pagan idols.  This was a very dark period for the church as Jewish laws were outlawed, woman were killed for circumcising their children, and many other atrocities occurred. Similar persecutions would occur centuries down the line, during the Dark Ages. Those who did not assimilate chose to die, that they might not profane the holy covenant.  There is always a remnant people.  God rose up during this time a son of a priest, Mattathias, who had five sons.  Mattathias went on to do mighty exploits for Righteousness sake.  Like many of the leaders of old, Mattathias fought against the powers at hand, and defended the honor of the God of their fathers. Just like the book of Judges where the children of Israel would fall into apostacy until a righteous Judge arose, the same pattern continued throughout scripture. God was with Mattathias and when he died, his son’s rose up and took after his footsteps. 

Reading about the exploits of Mattathias reminded me of the importance of a Godly household/legacy and why the enemy is after the nuclear family unit. Mattathias had a zeal for God, and he passed it on to his children who carried on his legacy.  This is why there is such an attack on our men today, to have them out of their positions as leaders of the home. Mattathias rose up during his time and said enough is enough. In this day and age, the world continues to encroach on the church.  As we celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. today, with his famous quote that says, “darkness cannot drive out darkness, only Light can do that (John 1:5),” I am reminded that God has called me to be salt and light in this world.  That I have been chosen to be set-apart and different. The last Kingdom in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream was the Kingdom of God, the Rock, which smashed the feet of the statue destroying it, and this rock growing into a massive mountain filling all the earth.