Bible Studies: Prophecies and Jewish History

Messianic Prophecies

• Messianic prophecies refer to predictions about the coming of Christ, his work of salvation, or the growth and consummation of his kingdom.

The Maccabees

• The Maccabees were a faithful Jewish family who organized a rebellion against Antiochus IV and reconsecrated the Temple.

The Book of Job

• The Book of Job responds to the question of why good people suffer by saying it is a mystery.
• Jesus' passion, death, and resurrection have revealed that suffering can be redemptive and that we can be a part of God's saving plan.

Gospels

• The Gospels are Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
• The word "Gospel" means "Good News".
• There are three synoptic Gospels, which are Matthew, Mark, and Luke.

Paul's Background

• Paul's background as a Roman citizen, a well-educated Jew, and fluency in Hebrew and Greek helped him to be an effective preacher to people from various backgrounds.

The United Kingdom of Israel

• The united kingdom of Israel split into two kingdoms after Solomon's reign due to the people's faithlessness.
• The kingdoms were split into Israel in the north and Judah in the south.

Prophets

• Prophets were often unpopular because they pointed out people's sins and called for them to change.
• Elijah was a prophet who challenged the prophets of Baal and Asherah in a head-to-head battle.
• Hosea's marriage represented Israel's lack of faithfulness to God.

Isaiah

• The book of Isaiah is unique because it likely contains prophecies of three different prophets from three different time periods.
• Isaiah first wrote about the Babylonian exile.
• Isaiah pointed to a future highlighted by the coming of Emmanuel (God is with us).

Jeremiah

• Jeremiah initially resisted God's call to prophecy because he thought he was too young.
• Jeremiah walked through town wearing a yoke around his neck to tell the people to surrender to the Babylonians instead of dying.
• The Babylonians destroyed the Temple when they captured Jerusalem.

Ezekiel

• Ezekiel's shock tactics included using cow manure to cook his food to show the depths to which the people would suffer.
• One of Ezekiel's hopeful prophecies was a vision of the dry bones coming to life.

Christian Perspective

• Christians keep in mind Christ's life, death, and resurrection when reading the Old Testament.
• At our baptism, all Christians are anointed to share in Christ's ministry as priest, prophet, and king.

Post-Babylonian Exile

• After the Babylonian exile ended, Jewish communities were dispersed all around the Mediterranean Sea.
• The Jewish people practiced their religious activities in synagogues because they did not have access to the Temple.

Intertestamental Period

• The Jews who intermarried with the Assyrians were called Samaritans.
• The Jewish people were no longer allowed to marry foreigners for fear of losing their religious identity.
• Books of Tobit, Judith, and Esther are considered short novels of historical fiction.
• Judith used her beauty and bravery to kill the Assyrian king.
• Esther hid her Jewish heritage to become the Queen of Persia.
• Greek influence became a major challenge for the Jewish community, especially in terms of philosophy, science, and literature.
• The Greeks forced the Jewish people to eat pork or die to weaken their faith.
• The Greek king Antiochus IV did many things to oppress the Jewish people, including forcing them to worship Greek gods.
• Mattathias, his five sons, and their followers became known as the Maccabees.
• The second book of Maccabees highlights the belief in the resurrection of the dead, which was new to Judaism.

Wisdom Literature

• The Book of Proverbs emphasizes the importance of fearing the Lord.
• The Book of Job addresses the question of why bad things happen to good people.
• The Book of Ecclesiastes encourages us to recognize that greedy people are never satisfied and that if we accept the good, then we should accept the bad too.
• The Song of Songs is love poetry that expresses the relationship between God and his people.
• The book of Wisdom is about practical advice to guide its readers toward goodness and happiness.

Other Important Concepts

• The Jewish people believed that the dwelling place of God was the ark of the covenant, kept in the Holy of Holies.
• The Jewish leader Ezra focused on religious reform.
• The book of Tobit was written to encourage the Jewish people to persevere and trust in God during the period of Greek oppression.
• In the book of Wisdom, wisdom is often personified as a woman.
• The very nature of God is a mystery.