Advent - Nothing Is Impossible With God [Week 1]

During the 400 Years

1. The Persian Period (539–331 BC)

• The Jews were allowed to return from Babylonian exile and rebuild the temple (completed in 516 BC).

• Under Persian rule, the Jewish community enjoyed relative peace and was governed by high priests.

During the 400 Years

1. The Persian Period (539–331 BC)

2. The Hellenistic Period (331–167 BC)

• Alexander the Great conquered the Persian Empire in 331 BC, spreading Greek culture (Hellenization) throughout the region.

• After Alexander’s death, his empire was divided among his generals, leading to the Ptolemaic and Seleucid rule over Judea.

• The Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures, was produced during this time, making the Jewish Scriptures accessible to the Greek-speaking world.

During the 400 Years

1. The Persian Period (539–331 BC)

2. The Hellenistic Period (331–167 BC)

3.The Maccabean Revolt (167–160 BC)

• The ruler Antiochus Epiphanes attempted to force adoption of Greek culture, religion, language, and identity on the Jews, desecrating the temple and outlawing Jewish practices.

• This led to the Maccabean Revolt, led by Judas Maccabeus, which resulted in the rededication of the temple (commemorated by Hanukkah) and the establishment of the Hasmonean dynasty.

During the 400 Years

1. The Persian Period (539–331 BC)

2. The Hellenistic Period (331–167 BC)

3.The Maccabean Revolt (167–160 BC)

4.The Roman Period (63 BC–NT Times)

• In 63 BC, the Roman general Pompey conquered Judea, making it a client state of Rome.

• Herod the Great, a Roman-appointed king, ruled Judea and carried out major building projects, including the expansion of the Second Temple.

Rize of Jewish Sects:

• Pharisees: Emphasized strict adherence to the Law and oral traditions.

• Sadducees: Wealthy aristocrats who controlled the Temple and rejected oral traditions and belief in the resurrection.

• Essenes: A separatist group that lived in isolated communities, like Qumran (associated with the Dead Sea Scrolls).

• Zealots: A revolutionary group advocating for the violent overthrow of Roman rule.

Malachi 4:5-6

“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet

and awesome day of

the

before the

great

Lord comes. 6 And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.”

1:13–17

13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.

14 And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, 15 for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb.

Luke 1:13–17

16 And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, 17 and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.”

Hebrews 1:1–2

Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.

Galatians

4:4

"But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law."

Waiting...

Then Suddenly!

Luke 1:26-36

Luke 1:26–36

26 ...the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary.

28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” 29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be.

Luke 1:26–36

30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.

31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

1:26–36

34 And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”

35 And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.

36 And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren.

Matthew 1:18-25

Matthew 1:18–25

18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.

19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.

Matthew 1:18–25

20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.

21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

Matthew 1:18–25

22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:

23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).

24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, 25 but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.